


Uther's Daughter

by Lady_Flurryous



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Mind Control, Oblivious Arthur, POV Uther Pendragon, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-02-14 06:20:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 47,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2181189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Flurryous/pseuds/Lady_Flurryous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story about a total random event that could change our beloved series. Has softie Uther, magical babies, fairies and a dramastically change from canon. Also Mergana smut (but they don't remember at first). Rated M because of that. Oh, and it may take a while to update! Also published on fanfictionnet</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC.
> 
> 35 years prior to MERLIN's season 1

The young Uther Pendragon heard a noise coming from his right side, outside of his field of vision. It sounded like something small entering the water. Obviously, whatever piqued his curiosity was not important enough to get his attention, but something inside him urged him to investigate that noise.

With two options to choose from, the future king of Camelot stopped his horse.

This is the story of what happened when he gave into the urge to find out what was happening around him. To find out what happened when he just decided to ignore the sound and moved on, see all the seasons of MERLIN series, from BBC.

Uther tied his horse to a tree not far from the road, so that passers would only see the animal if they left the main route and entered in the forest that bordered the trail.

Sneaking in to go unnoticed by the thing that piqued his curiosity, the young man was approaching the lake, silently. He stopped behind a rock, next to bushes, which served as the perfect cover for his body.

Then, he was finally able to see the source of the noise. It was a little fairy Sidhe, who was doing a kind of water ballet thingy on the lake surface.

Looking at the scene, a smile formed on the lips the future king, who, seeing no harm in watching her, continued to admire the movements of the mystical creature above the water.

Suddenly, Uther heard something like a loud grunt. Alarmed, the young man returned his gaze to the noise and came across another Sidhe, definitely male, who gazed at him with red eyes.

The fae launched a ray of his staff in the direction of the future king, but the magic hit a bird that was passing between the two at that exact time. The animal exploded into several pieces.

With a growl, the Sidhe let out another death ray, however a leave came off a branch, shortly before his action, pushing the magic being with its weight, changing the trajectory of the magic.

Possessed by anger, the fae once again tried to hit the young Pendragon, however, at the moment it would release its magic, something reflected sunlight directly into his eyes, causing him to instinctively move the arm holding his staff, as he was momentarily blinded.

Heaving a sigh, the Sidhe resigned to his inability to exterminate the Pendragon and spoke:

"Uther Pendragon! You enter these sacred lands and overhear a mystic ritual of the Sidhe, ruining it completely, causing my daughter to fail in her sacred duty, bringing shame on all of my name! Such defamation could only be matched with the life of the offender, but for some inexplicable reason, you have destiny on your side and your life can not be taken by one of the People. However, do not think that your offense will go unpunished! You will experience the shame I feel now, no matter how long it takes! An eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth! The shame of my daughter for the shame of yours! When this happens, you'll know that the debt is paid! "

And, in a flurry of lights and colors, the fairies disappeared, forcing Uther to close his eyes. Rationalizing the situation, the future King concluded that what he saw was just a dream, because when became aware of his surroundings, he found himself lying on top of leaves with his head leaned against a tree, as someone who had just awakened from a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TIMELINE – Uther's age
> 
> Encounter with the FAIRIES – 17
> 
> Became KING – 22
> 
> Married YGRAINE – 22
> 
> Had an affair with VIVIENNE – 29
> 
> MORGANA was born – 29
> 
> ARTHUR was conceived – 29
> 
> ARTHUR was born, beginning of the GREAT PURGE – 30
> 
> Age at the start of the first season – 50


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlin belongs to BBC
> 
> Right after the episode 1x10

They followed the tracks of two people. There was no sign of struggle or fight. Who passed by was not forced to do so, whoever went that way, did so spontaneously.

Uther, Arthur, Sir Leon and Sir Bedwyr were trying to find Morgana. Guinevere, the King's Ward maid, anxiously ran through the corridors of the castle, telling the Crown Prince that, in the short space of time it took the servant to fetch her mistress her sleeping draught, his adoptive sister was gone from her quarters,. Of course, a brief absence wasn't enough to conclude that the Lady Morgana was kidnapped. However, Gwen waited for quite some time, believing that her ladyship would be back in no time, until the servant looked out, through the bedroom window, and saw the two sentinels who were supposed to guard the front gate knocked out.

Fearing the worst, Gwen promptly awoke the sentries and asked them what had happened. They said they found the Lady Morgana, barefoot and only in her sleeping gown, trying to get past them and go into the forest. Alarmed by the unusual behavior of the noblewoman, they tried to stop her, but were surprised when the person in question knocked the guard who spoke to her with a hook, and punched the other in the stomach, leaving both unconscious.

Soon after, Gwen reported the events to Prince Arthur, which, in turn, warned the king and the later, gathering a small contingent of men, went chasing after the young noblewoman.

At the sight of Morgana's nightwear on the forest floor, the king – fearing that his daughter was under a spell, therefore, with no control of her own actions and probably in her birthing suit –ordered the guards to return to the castle and awake Gaius, the court physician, so that he could discover exactly what evil had afflicted her ladyship. With the search party reduced to four men – the king himself, Prince, Sir Leon and Sir Bedwir – Uther continued to track down his daughter with a bad feeling.

The four men found another piece of clothing among the trees, definitely designed for males. The king felt his heart clench in his chest, listening a clear voice in his mind " _the shame of my daughter for the shame of yours! When this happens, you'll know that the debt is paid_. "

Soon they reached a clearing, noting two pale figures, with black hair, in the center. A man and a woman, naked, apparently having intercourse. The man, who was identified by the Prince as his servant, Merlin, was moving his hips against the woman's backside. The king wished with all his strength that the female they found were not his daughter, despite all the evidence pointing towards that conclusion.

Uther let the anguish appear on his face, ordering the prince to hit the servant in the head, in order to make him unconscious while the king himself would stop the young woman, already preparing his cape in order to preserve the lady's modesty. The Knights remained ready for action, in case it would be necessary to intervene.

Stealthily, Arthur stood behind Merlin, slamming the hilt of his sword into the back of the servant's head, making him collapse. At the same time, Uther tried to pull Morgana away and cover her up with his cape.

Unexpectedly, when the king was a mere foot away from the young lady, she rolled to her side. Then, staring at her assailants, she showed them her red eyes.

Seeing his daughter, the king was breathless. That color was mark of Sidhe magic, like that one time he saw it, in that dream he had many years ago.

Without any warning, Morgana quickly diminished the distance that separated her from the King, hitting him with a kick on the head, causing him to lose balance and fall into the forest ground. Before the prince could understand the situation, he also received a precise blow from his adoptive sister, a punch in the ribs, hard enough to leave him stunned.

The other knights stepped in to help their liedges, but they were also overwhelmed by the martial superiority of the enchanted noblewoman. After other hits that left the four men on the ground and full of bruises, Morgana placed Merlin on her shoulders, as one who carries a hunt prize, and again entered the forest.

* * *

Still dizzy with the beating received, the king commanded Sir Leon:

"Leon, head back to the castle and tell Gaius to bring anything that might knock Morgana out."

"Also, bring shields, Sir Leon." Arthur said.

"Don't do it! Arthur, the intent is to leave her unconscious, not hurt her. If she strikes a shield with her bare hands, that will get her hurt! "Uther protested.

"Father, we are the ones who can hurt themselves with Morgana's strength and accuracy! Is there any part of your body that does not hurt after the sequence of kicks and punches she struck? "Arthur asked incredulously.

"She ... did not mean to! This is only happening because of witchcraft! You saw her eyes! They were red! I will not let her pay for a crime she did not commit, nor let anyone hurt her! I'll protect her! "Uther said.

"Father, she does not need your protection. The last few minutes proved that Morgana is fully capable of taking care of herself. She is practically a war machine! None of us could see or predict her moves! This shouldn't have happened, Camelot's army is the best of all Albion, with the training you gave us! We are used to train with our eyes closed! And yet, we seem to be toddlers compared to Morgana! What we need is tranquilizer darts to stop her! And some sort of protection, I don't think none of us can survive another attack!" Arthur said, without pausing for breath.

Looking from one Pendragon to another with indecision, Sir Leon decided that the most suitable person to solve that madness was Gaius, and then he ran towards the castle. The other men waited there.

* * *

After awhile, the knight returned, bringing the court physician, two shields and small darts. Gaius brought a mixture in a jar, to cause fainting.

"Good job, Leon. Pass me one of the shields. "Arthur said. The captain of the troops obeyed.

Noting the features and bruising of the other men, the doctor asked what have happened.

"Gaius, Morgana was the victim of a spell, she is completely out of control. She and your ward ... "The king answered, pausing, still processing the reality" ... the two of them ..." Uther joined his hands, making a gesture that should represent the act.

Briefly, the king assumed an air of defeat, soon replaced by an expression of anger

"This is all caused by magic! And Sidhe magic! Damn creatures! This happening reinforced what I already knew, all magic is evil, it corrupts those who use it. It can only bring misery". Uther said, gritting his teeth.

"My lord, I believe the best thing to do is to knock the Lady Morgana out, and take her back to the castle. Also, concerning Merlin, my king, he has no blame in the debacle. You yourself found that the cause of this nightmare is Sidhe magic. I hope that you may find mercy in your heart to deal with him. Merlin is like a son to me, and I'm very concerned about his well-being. "Gaius pleaded to the king.

"I cannot promise anything Gaius, the boy may have taken advantage of my ward. If that is the case, he will be executed immediately. "Uther said.

"Father, we're talking about Merlin! He wouldn't take advantage of any woman! He would be incapable of even notice that a female may be interested in him! I'm not even sure if he is attracted to women, since he often acts like a girl! It is impossible that he could do something so despicable. "Arthur defended his friend's virtue.

"We'll see, Arthur. He is still a man, and Morgana ... Enough of this subject! Let's go after them! "Uther said irritably.

"Yes, sire," the others answered at the same time.

The king led then, resuming the search for his daughter.

"There she is!" Said Arthur, pointing toward his foster sister. "Sir Leon, prepare a dart, it's impossible to miss at this distance!"

The knight wet the tip of the dart with the mix provided by the physician, handing the object to the young prince. Uther grabbed his son's arm and said:

"Aim where you do not hurt her much! Avoid her neck and any other sensitive region. "

"Understood, Father." Arthur replied.

The prince threw the dart, hitting her in the shoulder. Still, Morgana turned her head towards the men, but before she could move more, she fell on top of Merlin. The king jumped from his hiding place, covering the lady with a red cape and holding her in his arms. He was followed by Arthur and Gaius. First, the physician checked if the girl had normal vital signs, while the prince used his own cloak to cover his friend, who was also unconscious and had a small bump where the hilt of the sword hit him.

As if out of nowhere, the Sidhe Uther found thirty-five years ago appeared and commenced to speak:

"Finally, Uther Pendragon! Now you understand my pain, the anger I felt when you brought shame upon my name! Your daughter is dishonored! And I had my revenge! "The fae spoke, only to disappear as inexplicably as it had appeared.

With tears in his eyes and clenched teeth, Uther replied:

"Damn you! Come back here, you coward! Face my wrath! Come back here, so I can thrust my sword through your filthy body! "Yelled the king, but was not heard by the Sidhe, who was no longer there.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the king took a few moments to inform the other men.

"What happened here today ... the truth cannot be spread ... I want everyone to swear by their lives and honor ... to keep this a secret." Uther announced to the others.

All present agreed, vowing absolute secrecy.

"Sir Leon, Sir Bedwir and Gaius … accompany me back to the castle. Arthur, wait at the edge of the forest, until the guards leave their post, and then bring the boy. When you return, I want to speak with him in private." Uther said in a somber tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TIMELINE – Uther's age
> 
> Encounter with the FAIRIES – 17
> 
> Became KING – 22
> 
> Married YGRAINE – 22
> 
> Had an affair with VIVIENNE – 29
> 
> MORGANA was born – 29
> 
> ARTHUR was conceived – 29
> 
> ARTHUR was born, beginning of the GREAT PURGE – 30
> 
> Age at the start of the first season – 50


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC

Merlin felt as if he had a hangover. The last thing he remembered was that he was picking herbs for Gaius and then … nothing. His next memory was exactly awaking in his bed, where he stood at that moment, while moaning due to the pain in his head. As he caressed his hair, he felt a bump, one that definitely wasn’t there before. Touching it made it ache even more, so he retrieved his hand. The young man realized that it was already daytime and the sun was already shining, even though it was definitely nighttime before his memory blanked.

He decided to ask Gaius what had happened, as he clearly was in his room and had received a nasty hit on his head, so probably someone had carried him there.

As the young warlock opened the door and searched for his mentor at the main room of the physician’s quarters – without success –, Merlin thought that it was better to simple go back to bed, more so because he was also exhausted, even though he didn’t know why.

When he had opened the door and was stepping inside again, he heard someone enter the quarters, so he turned to look at whoever had come.

It was Gaius, he was with his medical instruments and a haunted face. When the old man noticed his ward, he spoke:

“Merlin, my boy! You’re finally awake!” The older man exclaimed and asked: “Do you remember what happened last night?”

“Actually, Gaius, I was going to ask you the very same thing. I don’t have a clue, I have no memory at all.” The ward answered.

“Oh my goodness.” Gaius was becoming afflicted by then. The king wanted to inquire his protégée and the boy didn’t know anything. He was fearing for Merlin’s life, feeling that “I don’t know” wasn’t going to be a satisfactory answer for Uther.

Meanwhile, Merlin was certain that someone had died judging by the expression that Gaius had. Still uncertain, he asked the physician:

“Gaius, what happened? All I know is that I woke up with a bump on my head.”

“My boy … I think is better if I tell you before you go talk to the king.” He paused and took a deep breath, then proceeded: “You were enchanted by a Sidhe, along with the Lady Morgana. You two …” at that moment, the physician joined his hands in an attempt to gesture what he was trying to say, but that only made Merlin more confused, furrowing his eyebrows while trying to understand what Gaius was struggling to reveal.

They stood there for several minutes in which the physician attempted to be comprehended, until he lost his patience and bluntly told the young warlock:

“You two had intercourse!” By then, Gaius had a reddened face, a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.  

“What?” Merlin was utterly shocked with what his mentor told him.

“You heard me, Merlin. You two were enchanted and copulated, more then once.” The old man spilled out and after that lowered his shoulders and head in defeat before adding:

“And now King Uther wants to speak to you, seeing that you’ve awoken.” The physician lifted his head to establish eye contact with his ward, then spoke:

“Under no circumstances you can show the king that you know of this or else he’ll suspect that you were not under the effect of magic and will have your head, if not other parts of your body, for having such ‘activities’ with his ward. Are we understood, Merlin?”

 “Y-Yes, Gaius.” Stammering, the young warlock replied.

“You must proclaim your innocence on this matter, and you must convince the King of it too.” The physician told him, raising one of his eyebrows. “For now, sit while I ask a guard to call Uther.” Gaius added and turned to go to the corridor of the palace.

“Wait, Gaius!” Merlin tried to halt him, even lifting a hand in his direction before saying: “How is she? … Morgana, I mean?” The young mage asked, sounding ashamed to even say her name.

“It’s better for you not to ask, not to know, not to even think of her ladyship for the moment. Enough damage was already done! To Uther you are a serving boy that had deflowered his precious ward, enchanted or not, that isn’t something to be taken lightly, Merlin. Arthur and I still have to beg for your life to be spared by the king. You should be thinking about yourself at a time like this!” The older man replied and turned once more towards the door, closing the physician’s quarters and leaving the young man alone for the moment.

As Gaius left, Merlin placed his right hand on top of his lips. He wasn’t believing it, he had lost his virginity with **the** Lady Morgana, simply the prettiest woman of all Camelot, no, of the entirety of Albion, maybe the whole damn world! He would give both his arms to remember the details, what it was like to touch her skin, her hair, her lips, her bosom, argh … how could he had forgotten such precious memory? He lifted his hands and messed his hair even more that it was already messed up, releasing his frustration with his motions.

The worst part was that, along with the forgetfulness of possibly the most amazing moment of his life, he had to face the consequences – that meant an utterly enraged Uther Pendragon, probably wanting to rip Merlin’s manhood right there where he stood. Before the young warlock could dwell on it more, the king himself threw open the chamber’s door and entered, almost releasing steam from his head, followed closely by Arthur and Gaius.

The senior Pendragon locked his eyes at Merlin and the young man trembled under the king’s death glare. Uther promptly approached the raven haired boy and gripped his neck with both hands, strangling him, while he spoke:

“Boy! You have brought shame to Morgana, to me and to Camelot! Enchanted or not, guilty or innocent, I cannot allow you to roam free and brag about what you did last night!” The king roared to Merlin.

“My … Milord … I don’t know … what you … are … talking … about” The warlock said between gasps, while placing his hands atop of Uther’s in a vain attempt to make him stop.

“Sire –” Gaius tried to reason with the king but was interrupted:

“Quiet! Gaius” Uther said with clenched teeth.

“Father, if I may –” This time was Arthur’s turn to try to appease his enraged parent.

“Do not speak, Arthur! I don’t want to listen! This boy should had his head detached from his body, but that wouldn’t be enough, as the executioner would do the deed! No, he’ll die by my own hands, only this way I can restore my honor!” The king groaned.

The prince raised his hands and settled then at his father’s arms, decreasing the strength of the king’s hold of Merlin’s neck, not enough to release him, but sufficient to allow the servant to breathe. Then Arthur spoke:

“You told me that you wanted to question him first, not to kill him immediately!” He told his father, being visibly distraught. And continued: “He said he doesn’t remember, just like Morgana! None of them are at fault! Please, spare his life, I know that Merlin wouldn’t tell anyone, he doesn’t even know what he did to begin with!” Arthur pleaded to the king.

“You don’t understand, Arthur! Morgana is … there’s no going back … and … and what if something even worst happen? No, the boy must die!” He gritted his teeth while speaking those words and squeezing harder the young warlock’s neck.

“Please, sire, I beg you, spare Merlin’s life.” Gaius said with tears in his eyes. “He is like a son to me, please, I vow that the truth will be kept hidden and I can assure you that Merlin won’t tell anyone.”

“Father, Merlin has saved my live twice! You cannot repay him by taking his own! Please, I promise that if he ever spill a word about last night I’ll kill him myself! Just, just don’t do this. He is innocent, he was tricked too.” Arthur tried to reason with him, while Merlin was almost loosing conscience. The young prince kept trying: “Please, father, please.”

The king released the servant from his death grip, as he did, Merlin felt to the ground and coughed, caressing his bruised neck with his left hand and supporting his weight with the other.

Still looking as a cold-blood murderer, the king ordered him:

“Raise your head, boy! Look at me!” As Merlin did and Uther was certain that he was looking at his eyes, he added, pointing his index finger: “If you ever tell anyone about what happened last night, you won’t only fear death itself. Before I kill you, with my bare hands, I’ll torn your manhood apart, chop it and make you eat it to the very last piece! Do you understand, boy?”

Merlin vigorously shook his head in an affirmative way. That seemed to appease the king, but he continued:

“And I forbid you to be in the same room as the Lady Morgana for the rest of your life as a servant! If that happens, the same punishment for telling anyone is applied, do you understand?”

Merlin once more nodded with exaggerated motions. Satisfied for the moment, Uther turned and stomped to the door, spinning before leaving as he spoke to the others:

“I don’t want to hear a word about this … incident … ever again! Anyone that mention it will be severely punished!” And turned once more and left.

When the king was gone, Gaius promptly ran towards Merlin and assessed the damage done by Uther, while Arthur just watched the scene, still unsure of what to do, so the physician said:

“Arthur, please help me lift Merlin.” So the royal went to assist the old man with Merlin.

“Well, that went better than expected.” Merlin joked and was immediately smacked in the head by a very unamused Gaius.

“Don’t say this even as a joke, my boy! You could’ve died if it wasn’t for Arthur! Thank him properly, others in his position wouldn’t care for the fate of a serving boy!”

“Sorry, Gaius.” Merlin said, feeling awkwardly and added: “Thank you, Arthur, for saving my life again.”

“Just … don’t ever do that again, are we understood?” The prince paused, searching Merlin’s face for confirmation before he continued: “My heart can’t take all the trouble that you get yourself into. One of these days, **you** are going to be the death of me if you keep being a magnet for turbulent events.” Noticing that he sounded as if he cared, Arthur added: “Not that you are important or anything, it’s just hard to find a servant that can do the job properly.”

“You mean that’s hard to find someone that can put up with your pratness?” Merlin teased.

“Did father actually made you even more stupid when he strangled you? I’m afraid it is so, you’re bolder, speaking more nonsense and fearing death even less! Insult me again and I’ll send you to the stocks, make you muck the stables for the entire month, polish the swords of all of Camelot’s knights, grease their booths, clean their armors –”

“I get it, I get it. I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Merlin said opening his arms as if admitting defeat.

“But that won’t rid you of your shores. Go on, Merlin. Oh, and in the way, bring breakfast to my chambers too. And prepare a bath. Also, you must scrub the floor.” Arthur said while placing a hand on Merlin’s shoulder.

“Prat!” Merlin whispered.

“What did you said?” Arthur inquired, raising his brows.

“I said rat! I saw one running around the quarters.”

Arthur looked at him with a “I-don’t-know-if-I-believe-what-you-told-me” face, but didn’t question his servant, preferring to say goodbye to Gaius and leave the chambers. Once the prince was gone, Gaius turned to Merlin and said:

“Merlin, you heard the king. Don’t ever think of disobeying him. You can’t ever come close to Morgana, do you understand?” The physician asked, with his raised eyebrow.

“Yes, Gaius, I do. I promise I won’t do anything and I’ll avoid her.” He said, sounding disappointed and upset.

“It’s for the best, my boy. Also, don’t tell the king that I have told you what happened. I thought that he could be more enraged if you didn’t know what you were talking about, but it seems I was wrong.”

“Ok, Gaius, I won’t mention anything to him.” The young warlock assured him.

“Fine. Now you must go, Merlin. Don’t keep the prince waiting.”

As he said so, Merlin departed the room, ready to face the most awkward day of his life.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter isn't actually funny, but it was necessary. Next chapter comes her discovery of the pregnancy and a lot more, that's the one that keeps me giggling out of nowhere like a mad person, ha ha

**Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC.**

 

Morgana was dizzy, feeling as if she the world was spinning around her. She blinked her eyes many times before her surroundings finally settled. Gwen was kneeled by her side at the bed, holding her hand and apparently asleep. Morgana felt guilty that once more she had to submit her best friend to an uncomfortable night due to her problems. Thinking about that, the lady noticed that she didn’t know exactly what was the situation that made her maidservant spend another night away from her own father and home. In fact, she didn’t have any memory related to what happened last night, as it was already daytime, and she realized that her bedchamber was bright with sunlight. She momentarily panicked, wondering if her nightmares had reached another degree in the frightening scale.

Had she acted based on one of them? Was that why she didn’t recalled anything at all? Had she troubled Gwen more than it was habitual? There was only a way to know the truth, she had to awake her friend to ask her.

She shook her maid’s shoulder, lightly not to startle her, but it had the opposite effect. Guinevere jumped from her position, with reflexes similar to Arthur’s in combat, and promptly said:

“My lady!” she exclaimed and her eyes filled with tears as she continued: “You’re awake! We thought that you’d never …”. Gwen paused, biting her lower lip, and leaving the rest of her thought unspoken, saying instead: “Never mind, what do you remember about last night?” she inquired.

“Well, I had supper with Uther and Arthur, you helped me getting ready to sleep, then I asked you to go get my sleeping draught and … I think that my next memory is being here, this morning.” She said the last sentence frowning and furrowing her eyebrows.

Guinevere covered her open mouth with her hand, as if to stop a scream, and asked Morgana:

“So, you don’t recall what happened after I left your bedchambers?”

“No, Gwen, and I’m starting to get scared about it.” She raised a single eyebrow at her friend and added: “What has happened that is so terrible to leave you speechless?”

Guinevere almost whispered an apprehensive: “I don’t know either”.

Then, she lowered her head before saying: “All that I can say is that you disappeared from your chambers late that evening and the King went searching for you. He required secrecy from the men that accompanied him, so nobody is telling anything about it.”

“What? Why?” Morgana asked.

“I don’t know, milady, but I think something bad must have happened. And I’m afraid. My lady, you’re my truest friend in this world, even though I’m aware that it isn’t proper –”

“Gwen, please, stop this.” This time Morgana held her maidservant’s hands between her own, squeezing lightly to reassure her: “I don’t care if you’re nobility or not. All that matters is that you’re my best friend and you have to stop depreciating yourself based on a silly thing as your birth.”

Gwen nodded, reluctant to leave her manners behind, and kept talking:

“Still, that’s not how society see us, milady.” She untangled their hands before adding: “But I’m glad that you are different from the rest of the nobles. I’m glad to be your friend.” Gwen smiled at her, and exclaimed:

“Oh, I forgot! I have to immediately report that you’re awake!” so she bowed and said:

“If you excuse me, milady, I must go.”

“Gweeeeen.” The lady said crossly, but, she giggled at the end.

“It’s my duty, milady, er… Morgana.”

So the maidservant left before the young noblewoman could protest any longer. Morgana was left alone wondering about what could have happened. Well, she’d have to wait until someone decided she was allowed to know the truth, which was one of the things that irritated her the most about being Uther’s ward.

Not much time had passed when an out-of-breath king entered her bedchambers, with Gaius struggling to follow his liege pace. As Uther passed through the door and saw Morgana, he promptly diminished the distance between them and hugged her, so tightly that she had trouble breathing and he exclaimed:

“Morgana! You’ve woken up!”

“Yes … my lord … if you could … release me … then I’d breathe” she said between gasps.

The king was startled when he realized that he was suffocating his daughter. He abruptly grabbed her shoulders and pushed, which startled Morgana, but nothing that actually hurt her. Well, certainly, Uther was on the edge that morning, so the events from the previous night must have been something unsettling.

“Oh, forgive me, Morgana. I’m … I’m just glad that you’re fine, I guess I overdid a little.” He then sat at her bed, from   

She smiled weakly at him, before asking the question that probably sour his mood, but the curiosity was too much to bare at that moment:

“I’m thankful for your concern, my lord. Now, if you could please explain to me what has caused all this commotion, I’d be even more grateful.” Seeing that he was on his nerves, she decided to use the polite approach, tilting her hear upwards as she inquired.

“You don’t remember?” The king asked incredulously.

“No, my lord, I do not.” She said it almost as a whisper, because admitting the truth scared her.

“You were enchanted, my child.” Uther placed his right hand on top of her cheek and caressed her face, before continuing “by a Sidhe, damn those vile creatures!” He gritted his teeth, turned his head a little, as if thinking of the being that had put a spell on her, and stopped his hand, resting it at her face.

“What did the enchantment made me do, my king?” she hesitantly asked.

At that moment, Uther locked eyes with Morgana and his expression was that of someone with a murder intent. Instinctively, his daughter flinched, so the king noticed that he must have made a terrifying face, because he knew his daughter was the bravest young woman that he had ever known. Softening his countenance, he answered her question:

“You were … you were … not yourself. You did something that you’d never do in your right mind. It’s better if you don’t know exactly what, just trust me, it was something terrible.” By then, she was showing how much frightened she was, so he decided to soothe her worries adding: “It was nothing life threatening, you can rest assured.” He smiled at her and kissed her forehead, standing up and telling her:

“For now, Gaius will examine you, to check your health. I’ll be waiting outside until he is done.” Then, the king paced to her bedchamber’s door, closing it when he left.

The old physician approached her, asking her to follow his instructions while he checked her condition. Unable to contain her curiosity and even more scared due to Uther’s previous commentaries about the events that happened while she was under a spell, she asked the old man:

“Gaius, please tell me what occurred last night. Not being able to know is really frightening. I have the right to know the truth!” She spoke the first part as a scared child and changed to her a righteous demeanor during the last sentence.

The physician raised one of his eyebrows and said:

“My lady, I’m not allowed to speak of such matters. I have sworn an oaf to the king. I’m afraid you’ll have to convince him to tell you the truth. This is the only way.”

“Please, Gaius, you know he’ll never say anything! I beg you, it’s my life we’re talking about! What if I murdered someone and I don’t know about it? What if I did something even worse? It isn’t just that I keep living my life as if nothing had ever happened! Please, Gaius, I need to know …” She pleaded him.

“Morgana, it don’t enjoy seeing you with this doubt, but I can’t possible tell you the truth. Someone’s life is at stake. Someone that is really dear to me, so I’m sorry, my child, but I can never tell, please, don’t ask this of me.” This time he was the one pleading.

Reluctantly, Morgana nodded, understanding his reasons not to let her know what had happened, but she was still unresigned, deciding that instead of pressuring her old friend, she would find the truth using other methods. Nonetheless, she was determined to at least discard some of the awful possibilities that were roaming her mind, so she asked:

“Please, Gaius, at least give me some answers. I didn’t hurt anybody, did I?”

“No, my child.” He smiled at her, then paused briefly and continued: “Well, not seriously, just some minor bruises.”  

“Who did I hurt, Gaius?” She inquired.

The physician noticed that she was probably gathering information and that she hadn’t given up her initial intent to find the truth. But, by then, it wasn’t as if she would actually be able to extract it from the other witnesses, so he replied truthfully:

“Uther, Arthur, Sir Leon and Sir Bedwyr.” She had a shocked expression as he continued: “and they are all fine, nobody is in their deathbed, you can be assured of it.”

Then he continued the examination, offering a draught at the end, saying:

“It’ll help you recover your strength, my child. Drink it after your breakfast.”

She complied, placing the vial at her bedside table. Gaius called the king and told him that Morgana was in perfect health, excusing himself and leaving Uther and Morgana alone.

When the senior Pendragon entered her room, He promptly spoke:

“Morgana, there’s one more thing. I forbid you to be at the same room, at the same time, with Arthur’s manservant.” He told her sternly.

“What? Why? What has he done? This demand is totally unreasonable, my lord!” She exclaimed.

“Do you have affections for the boy?” He asked her with wide eyes and clenched teeth, obviously about to explode.

“No, my lord! But he is my friend and you already forbid me of doing so many things, why prohibit me to be in the same room as Merlin? Do you think he has a contagious disease or something similar? Well, that must be the only possible explanation to such an unreasonable request.”

“Do not challenge me, child! If I do this I do it with your best interest in heart. That’s all you need to know! You don’t have a choice in this matter! Just obey me!” He told her, harshly.

“But Uther –”

“If you don’t, then I’ll execute him! Are we clear, Morgana?”

She was astonished by his severity and tried to protest again, but the king interrupted her again, angrily asking once more:

“ **Are we clear**?”

She was about to object, but decided against it. She didn’t want to risk Merlin’s life, not after the druid boy episode, especially after that, when not even **her** integrity was completely safe from wrath. So, instead she nodded.

“Good.” He said, seemly satisfied with her answer and his voice’s tone was much calmer as he spoke: “You must eat your breakfast and drink your medicine.” He kissed her hair and walked to the door, turning to face her before he left: “I already ordered your maidservant to bring it to you. I’ll leave you for now, you must rest.” And he stood there for a while, so she nodded and the king passed through the entrance.

Soon after that, Gwen came in, bringing a tray with food. Morgana ate and talked with Gwen about how weird all of this were, telling everything that she was told about the whole incident – which was obviously not the entire story.

When she finished, she grabbed the vial and was about to take its content when she felt something weird, similar to a tightening in her chest, as if something bad was about to happen, so she dropped the vial and it cracked when it hit the ground, spreading its contents.

Gwen gasped and immediately asked:

“Are you alright, milady?” Her concern was all over her face.

“Gwen, I felt something weird about the draught …” she said so looking at no particular place, then lifted her head to gaze at her friends eyes, continuing: “I don’t know what come to me, I’m sorry for this mess.” She said guilty.

“Oh, no, it’s fine, Morgana. I had to scrub your floor anyway, it’s not something to be upset about.” She smiled at her friend in a heartwarming manner, calming her.

“I’ll just ask Gaius for more, I’m sure he’ll understand.” So she bowed and left her mistress alone, taking the tray of food with her.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC  
> This chapter was huge, much bigger than the others, also took longer to finish.

It was the 20th day that Morgana had been found under the effect of the Sidhe enchantment. Everything was going back to normal, with the exception that Gwen was the only servant attending both Arthur and Morgana during meals and she always had to scout the territory, in order to verify that it was Merlin’s free, so that the Lady Morgana could go there. That also meant that every time Morgana wanted to pester Arthur about something, she had to first make an appointment with him, so she wouldn’t meet our beloved warlock.

Uther was also using the guards as spies, questioning them at the end of their shifts if Morgana and Merlin were sighted at the same place together, it didn’t matter if they would be accompanied by Guinevere, Arthur, the entirety of Camelot’s knights, all of the castle staff, hell, the entire population of the city! To Uther, all he knew was that he should’ve executed the boy immediately, but he didn’t and that thought enraged him every single day.

To Morgana, her guardian was being extremely unreasonable and the worst thing was that she wasn’t able to discoverer the truth up until that day. She was also irritated with everything, sounds, smells and her bosom was swollen and touching her breasts was painful, as well as many things were making her nauseous, also she was tired all the time. In short, Guinevere was really screwed, not only her amount of work had increased, now her mistress was cranky out of nowhere, with inexplicable mood swings that she had to deal with.

Arthur and Merlin weren’t speaking about what happened at that night, not that they allowed to, but since then, it was as if Arthur’s mood also had changed for worse. He was constantly grumpy or quiet, instead of making fun of things and servants, so Merlin couldn’t point out how much of a prat his royal highness was. That was frustrating and generally got worse every time they worked with their silent agreement of not talking about that night when a meeting with Morgana was imminent, and the manservant swiftly disappeared from sight. Merlin wasn’t sure what was Arthur’s problem, he was the one that would lose his head and other body parts if we was caught anywhere near Morgana, but the one sulking was the Prince. For a moment he thought that the answer could be that Arthur had a crush on Morgana, but he immediately dismissed it. The only thing that the Prat Prince could ever love was his own royal arse.

To Gaius, he was glad that Uther hadn’t killed Merlin, but he was concerned that Morgana hadn’t taken the tonic. Every single time she was about to take it, something happened. Either the vial broke in mid-air or she got dizzy and dropped it, the fact was that when she was about to take its contents, something happened and this was the twentieth time he had prepared that potion. If she didn’t take it today and ended up with child, things would be worse and there was nothing that he or Arthur could do to save Merlin’s skin – and manhood – this time. So, as he was summoned to examine her ladyship that morning, after she had vomited her entire breakfeast, Gaius was extremely worried, thinking that his fears had already come true.

 

* * *

 

     

“Morgana, is this the first morning that you have felt this nausea?” Gaius asked the young woman.

“No, Gaius. In the last ten days I can’t stand some smells, and since three days ago some of them upset my stomach and others make me want to throw up, but I hadn’t before.” She answered, seating in her bed, still wearing a white nightgown.

Suddenly Uther enters the room startled and questions: “How is Morgana?”

Everyone that was in the bedchambers looks at him, due to his surprise entrance. The physician decides that it is best to just answer:

“I must do some examinations, sire, only then I can give a diagnosis.”

“But you already have a suspicion, haven’t you, Gaius?” As he says that, Uther walks in the physician’s direction and grabs his both arms, with apprehension showing on his face.

“I do, my lord, nevertheless, I prefer to come to a conclusion instead of making assumptions. So, if you could release me, sire, I would do my job promptly.” The old man said, raising his one eyebrow.

Noticing what he was doing, Uther immediately released Gaius, getting out of his way.

The physician collect a little bit of urine from Morgana’s chamber pot and requested her to rest for the day. Uther inquired if it would take too long to know the final diagnosis, to what Gaius answered that it would be ready in the afternoon. The king asked to be called to accompany Gaius’s next visit to Morgana.

 

* * *

 

 

“What are you doing, Gaius?” Merlin asked, observing that his guardian had an intricate apparatus on top of the main table.

“Running some tests, Merlin, you’ve seen me doing this before” The physician answered while keeping his full attention to the object in front of him.

“Well, I can see that, Gaius.” The young warlock said, rolling his eyes, continuing: “What I want to know is whatever for.”

“Why do you ask, Merlin?” Gaius replied, raising the one eyebrow, knowing that his pupil would see it from his angle.

“I’m merely curious.” The young warlock told him, doing a nonchalantly expression and pouting.

“Don’t you have chorus to do? I can swear I’ve heard Arthur calling you!” Gaius spun to face his ward, already getting impatient.

“He does that all the time, it’s like he can’t find his own head without my aid.” Merlin said with a goofy grin.     

“If you are so indispensable, then you should be with him right now!” The physician remarked and added: “So you’d better see if he has any task for you and leave me alone with my science!”

“I can’t right now. He’s with Morgana and Uther, waiting for something.” He said it a little bit disheartened, probably due to the prohibition to see the lady in question.

“Oh, Merlin, you just made me remember that we have a shortage of some herbs used in the King’s draughts. As you are such a good boy, do me a favor and go look for them.”

 _So I can finish this damned test and discover if you have impregnated the King’s Ward._ Gaius thought.

“Are you trying to get rid of me, Gaius, and not answer my question?” Merlin inquired with a playful tone of voice.

“No, Merlin, I just need those herbs for today’s dose. There isn’t enough of it.” He lied to his ward.

“Fine, Gaius, but don’t think that you have successfully evaded this conversation.” Merlin grinned and left the physician’s quarters.

 When he finally was out of sight, Gaius sighed in relief, but that rapidly changed as he noticed the final color of the mix – it was definitive, Morgana was with child.

  

* * *

 

 

Inside Morgana’s bedchamber were the King’s ward herself, Uther and Arthur anxiously waiting for Gaius to arrive there. When the old physician entered the room, all eyes were locked on him and he felt as a herald of doom.

“Gaius, do you have a conclusive diagnosis?” Uther inquired before the old man had stooped in any place.

“Sire, I do.” He paused briefly before proceeding: “Are you sure that it’ll be better for the young prince to know the truth? It’s a delicate situation, my king.”

“If my suspicions are true, then we’ll need secrecy in this matter.” Uther said, gulping before continuing: “Also, Arthur must be here to learn how to deal with difficult decisions.”

Gaius nodded at his liege statement, understanding what needed to be done.

The tension was thick in the air, Arthur and Morgana were about to protest so their elders were reminded that they were there too and weren’t children anymore, so they could take their own decisions and be part of the ‘adults’ conversation, but before they had any chance to argue, Gaius dropped the news:

“Morgana is with child.”

“What?” Arthur and Morgana asked in unison, while Uther fisted his hands, clenched his teeth and screamed:

“I’LL KILL THAT FAIRY!!!!! I’LL RIP HIS WINGS, TAKE HIS HEART FROM HIS CHEST AND EAT IT WHILE THAT SCOUNDREL WATCH!!!!!!”

The king’s demonstration of utter fury startled those present at that moment, Morgana flinched, as did Arthur, while Gaius made a stoic face as if that was just a current event in Camelot’s court (in fact seeing Uther mad was quite common), but he also raised the eyebrow.

“Father, please, you must calm down. We have to think about solutions for this dilemma. For Morgana’s sake!” The young prince tried to reason with his father. Morgana was still processing the shocking news, trying to figure out how that had happened if she was still a maiden.

“There is a solution: I’ll kill everyone that was responsible for this!” The king growled.

“I’m sure that you don’t have to be so harsh, father” Arthur told him, thinking about his best friend’s fate, not that he would ever admit that he considered Merlin was that. “I’ll marry Morgana and everything will turn fine, she won’t be dishonored and the child won’t be a bastard.” He finished.

The young lady gasped due to his proposition, noticing that she didn’t have considered how bad **her** position was, being slightly thankful for her foster-brother for such a gesture, while at the same time she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life dealing with Arthur’s pratness. But as she thought that, Uther immediately shouted:

“NO!!!” ( _You can’t marry your sister, stupid son!!!_ , was Uther’s thought)

“Father, please, this is the best solution. Allow this for Morgana’s sake.” Arthur pleaded.

“You can’t!!!! Arthur, you are betrothed to Elena, Lord Godwyn’s daughter since she was born!!”

“Don’t I have a say in this matter?” Morgana finally asked, to what Uther abruptly replied:

“No!”

She was about to protest when Gaius interrupted the royals, playing the part of the most rational person in that room:

“Please, my lords, my lady, we all must calm down and think properly about the possible options ahead.”

“It is too soon to even be sure if this pregnancy shall be sustained till its end. Natural abortions are a normal occurrence.” He physician stated, to Morgana’s shock, continuing: “If that doesn’t happen, then it’s possible to either provoke an abortion – ”

Suddenly, a metal tray, that was left at Morgana’s table, went flying in Gaius’s direction to the mention of a forced abortion, while the young seer’s eyes glowed gold. The old physician dodged effectively and, in the meantime, Arthur widened his eyes and Uther yelled:

“ **Sorcery**!!”

Morgana panicked at his words, being aware that she had somehow caused the tray to almost hit Gaius. She was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, fear, anger, utter panic, confusion, awkwardly happiness for being with child and being powerful, in short, she was freaking out and her magic reacted to it, her eyes sustaining a golden hue.

So, any objects that her magic could move were thrown in the direction of the males, which led to many things cracking in the wall, the ground, their heads and henceforth. Using his combat instincts, Arthur left her cambers and swiftly grabbed a shield for himself and for Uther, in the corridor, while Gaius hid behind Morgana’s changing screen and Uther protected himself the best he could using his forearms.

“Here, father, a shield.” If that madness actually ended at some point, Arthur would definitely suggest that they use Morgana in their wars, even if only for the joke’s sake.

Uther buckled the shield to his right forearm, still protecting himself against the many unintentional projectiles, while he tried to calm his daughter:

“Morgana, child, please stop this.” This time his tone was soothing.

“I can’t! I don’t know how!” She sobbed.

“It’s fine Morgana, nobody is going to hurt you. I promise you.” Uther pleaded, as he automatically concluded that she having magic was another part of that despicable little creature’s plan.

The intensity of the “attack” decreased as the objects were being directed at them much slower, making it easy for the prince and king to block it with their shields.

“Do you truly mean it?” Morgana asked, still shaken.

“Yes, I do, for Arthur’s life.”

“Hey!” The young prince protested, but his father ignored his complaints and continued:

“You’re like a daughter to me, Morgana. I won’t let any harm befall over you, I’m serious.” He pleaded, dropping the shield while opening his arms as in a peace offer.

She apparently relaxed with his gesture, so the objects were gently placed on the ground by her magic and her eyes regained their natural color.

Uther enveloped her in a hug, while she broke in tears, soaking his shirt. The king patted her head while whispering: “Shh, everything is going to be ok, don’t worry, child.”

Arthur took a longer time to actually change his full-defense position, but he did so, finally letting the truth sink: his stepsister had magic. He was definitely confused, but, by seeing his father’s reaction, he thought that they could somehow figure everything out. He wanted to believe in his father’s words.

Gaius finally left his protection behind the changing screen, standing by the prince’s side and observing while Uther soothed Morgana’s emotional state back into a point where they could withhold a conversation.

When the young lady finally stooped hiccupping and crying, and she made eye contact with the king, she said:

“I have … magic … will you not … burn me?” She stammered and inquired with a frightened expression.

“I’m sure that’s another part of that **thing’s** enchantment, my child. It is not your fault, you’re not to blame.” He kissed her forehead after telling her that.

She was calmer after hearing his words and thought that it was the best moment to ask him more:

“Is Merlin the father? Is that why you’ve forbidden me to be at the same place as him?” She asked, hesitantly.

Uther glared at her, increasing her nervousness, she could sense that he was enraged with her remark, but instead of yelling at her, he took a deep breath and replied:

“Yes, he is, but this has to remain in secrecy.” He looked at his knees while telling her, but later promptly reestablished eye contact and continued: “You weren’t on your right mind, neither him, that’s why I have spared his life.” The king paused a bit, sighing, because he had to break bad news for her, his daughter, and it wasn’t a pleasant thing to do. He’d have to clarify that she couldn’t see the boy and that he’d have to be banished. He’d have to remind her of her honor – that was currently tainted, except that as it wasn’t publicized, they could still make amends –, which inevitably led to either induce an abortion or keep the pregnancy a secret and give the child, his grandson or granddaughter (a fact that he didn’t want to remember), to adoption.

“You cannot have any sort of relationship with him, you can’t meet him, you can’t speak with him, you can’t see him, nothing of the sorts. He is a mere servant and you are a Lady of the court. He is utterly below your status and now that you are aware of your condition, he’ll have to leave, so that you can keep your honor untainted.”

“Uther, that’s completely unreasonable! You said it yourself, he didn’t have control over his actions, nor did I. He’s not at fault, you cannot punish him for this, it’s unfair!” She exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows.

“I’m already being considerate with only exiling him, Morgana! Don’t defy me or I’ll have him executed!”

“No, he did nothing wrong! You can’t do this!!” As she was getting even more distressed, her eyes glowed gold again and a metal jug that was on the floor flew and hit the king in the head. He let out a cry of pain and rubbed the spot that was hit by the object.

“Control yourself, Morgana! You can’t solve all of your problems with sorcery!” He scolded her.

“I don’t know how!!!! I have no control over it!!!!” She snapped.

“Morgana!!!!” Uther tried to reprimand her again, but again everything that was able to be thrown by her magic came flying in his direction. So, Arthur helped, blocking most of the brushes, trays, pieces of jewelry, buckets, well whatever that came in his father way, while trying to speak:

“Father, that’s not what we have agreed on! Merlin saved my life more than one time, he deserves more than just be thrown aside like an old toy for what happened that night!”

“I don’t care, Arthur, just help me to calm down your sis –” Uther slapped his mouth to avoid saying that last word.

“Only you can do that, father! Promise her that he can stay! On your terms if it suits you!” He paused when a bucket was came in their directions, paying attention to defending himself and his father before adding: “Please, do it for me and Morgana!”

Having his two children indisposed with him and being under the attack of magically propelled objects was pressuring the King to make a hasted decision, one that he’d probably regret later, but it would have to do for the moment. So, he ended up saying:

“Okay, okay, the boy can stay!” as he spoke, the objects froze in midair. “But the rules are the same! You’re not to see him, not to speak with him and you are prohibited to be in the same room as the serving boy! If you disobey me, **he** will pay the price! Are we clear?”

Her possessions trembled slightly were they were, but instead of renewing the charge against the king, they stood were they were, apparently because Morgana’s temper was kept under control.

“I understand, my lord.” She complied, even though she was noticeable upset.

Seeing that there was still a lot of objects suspended in the air, Uther thought that it’d be better for a person with more sensibility to tell what could be their options concerning the subject (that and he was already sore in many places from the consecutive hits he had to withstand), so he said:

“Gaius, tell her what choices she has!”

“Are you certain, sire? Isn’t Morgana your ward? Aren’t you the one best suited to inform her?”

“You have known me for a long time, Gaius, I’m sure that you know what I’m thinking! Also, I’m not good in dealing with pregnant women.”

“Can I borrow this shield first?” The old man pointed to the one that the king had previously discarded and as the monarch nodded, the physician held it on his right arm, distancing himself from the king and young prince.

“As I was telling you before, you can either provoke an ab –” Her eye glowed again and the silver tray came flying towards him, stopping there as the physician didn’t end the word.

“Abor –” The tray moved again, getting closer and stopping as he didn’t finish. So Gaius decided to take a risk, she rapidly said: “Abortion!” while he raised the shield to block the tray, that hit with force. Lowering his protection asset, Gaius added, fast and looking sideways for more things flying in his direction:

“Or we can wait for the term of your pregnancy and giving the child to adoption.”

The room walls trembled a little as Morgana frowned and said:

“No!”

“Morgana! Don’t be unreasonable! You have a reputation to withhold!” Uther scolded her, which only worsened everything.

Sensing that if nobody did nothing to ease the tension between the king and his ward, Gaius meddled, suggesting to his king:

“My lord, please, if you discuss this now with Morgana, the roof will fall over our heads.” The King locked eyes on him, noticing somehow that the physician was actually making sense.

“Please, we can discuss this away from her presence and come up with a solution that will at least ease her mind. As you both are upset, you’ll only clash, not coming to any common ground.”

“You’re right, Gaius.” The king grabbed the old man left arm as someone that has a dizziness does when needing a support not to fall.

“Arthur, watch over Morgana. I’ll be back soon.” He ordered to his son.

“Yes, father.” The prince promptly replied.

“Uth–” Morgana tried to protest, but was interrupted by the king raising his hand and saying:

“Later, Morgana.”

And the two men left her bedchambers going to the king’s study and lying to the guards on their way.

 

* * *

“Why do you think that they’re taking that long?” Morgana asked her stepbrother.

Sighing, Arthur replied: “I don’t know Morgana, I’m not there with them, instead I’m here, babysitting you.” He glanced at her. Her hair was disheveled, she had dark circles under her eyes, also, her eyes were still a little bit red from all the crying she was doing before. He hugged her too when his father left the room and her tears started flowing again. She had asked if he was afraid of her, but he dismissed it (following Uther’s example), saying that they’d find a cure for the magic “condition” and everything was going to go back to normal. He had asked how she was coping with everything and she had answered that she wasn’t, she was still too shocked to even think about anything, but thanked him for trying to fix that mess, only to add that she’d make his life a living hell if they had to marry. He chuckled, but decided to keep quiet, doing some thinking.

She also inquired him about **the** night and he told her mostly everything, not mentioning the part in which she singlehandedly defeated four grown men with her bare fists (and feet), because she didn’t need another boast to her ego, which was already a big sized one.

Then, the door was opened and Gaius and Uther entered. Uther was the one making the announcement:

“Morgana, I have talked to Gaius and came to a decision: we’ll keep you pregnancy hidden and I’ll adopt the child as my own once he or she is born.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she said weakly:

“Thank you.”

Uther smiled a little due to her reaction and hugged her again, placing another kiss at her hair. Then, he distanced himself a bit and looked into her eyes as he spoke:

“Also, Gaius will teach you how to keep your … curse … under control, so you don’t inadvertently harm yourself or others.” She nodded to him and he kept talking:

“I promise you, my child, I’ll find a cure for that condition, you don’t have to be afraid.”

His promise was making her even more nervous in fact, as she remembered the druid boy, too much young to have willingly chosen to have magic, but she decided to keep quiet, afraid of her own reaction and Uther’s.  


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC

“Gwen, I’m pregnant.” Morgana said, and her expression was a mix of happiness and insecurity.

“My lady!!!” Her best friend exclaimed, bringing her both hands to cover her mouth, in shock. Shortly, she added: “How? Who? When?”

“What they weren’t telling us about that night.” The young seer replied, hesitantly. Her maid understood, so finally the mystery was solved, but she didn’t like to discover the truth.

“Then … who is the father, Morgana?”

“Merlin.” She whispered his name and smiled as she once again thought that she had a deeper connection with the only man that was truly able to take hold of her heart.

“Now it makes sense.” Guinevere stated, continuing: “That’s why you were prohibited to be in the same place at the same time.” The future queen of Camelot approached her mistress and friend, also sitting on her bed, while grabbing both her hands.

“How are you feeling about all this, Morgana?”

“I’m confused, Gwen. I’m happy, but at the same time I’m scared. It is as if being pregnant was, at the same time, the best and the worst thing that could have ever happened to me. Do you understand?”

“I’m afraid that I don’t, my lady.” At those last words, Morgana pouted, giving Gwen a look that meant ‘I’m-talking-about-the-probably-most-important-event-of-my-life-and-you’re-my-friend-here-not-my-servant’, to which Guinevere promptly corrected herself saying “Morgana” and continuing:

“I mean, that’s a lot to process. You’re unwed, Merlin is a servant–” to that Morgana narrowed her eyes, with a look that meant ‘servants-are-people-too-you-should-know-that’ but didn’t interrupt her friend “so, he’ll never be considered as a match, meaning your child will be labelled a bastard, and none of you have thought or actually know if you have feelings for each other.”

What her best friend and maid was saying made a lot of sense, her concern had a solid ground. Nonetheless, almost everything was already settled, except for the part of her feelings and Merlin’s.

“Uther told me to keep the pregnancy a secret, so I won’t be brought to shame, or so he said. Also, he guaranteed that he’ll adopt the child, as prince or princess, once it’s born.” She paused briefly and took a deep breath before proceeding: “The only thing that isn’t sure are the feelings. Merlin’s and my own.” She furrowed her brows.

“Morgana, do you have feelings for Merlin?”

For a brief moment, the young seer felt guilty, her friend had confided her that she had a crush on the manservant, well, at least before Lancelot showed up and Gwen admitted that she was probably attracted to Merlin before, as he was such a nice person, so much different from those arrogant sorts like Arthur, but that had changed and the only thing left was friendship. Noticing that it was probably okay to tell Gwen that, Morgana spoke:

“I … it’s strange, Gwen, he’s really important to me, really dear, but I don’t know why. When I was allowed to be in his presence, I would follow him everywhere with my eyes, every dark haired silhouette that I saw with the corner of my eyes was enough to get my attention, and I always expected to be him. My heart skips a beat when I see him. There is a warm sensation in my chest when I think about him, I … I never felt this way before.” Morgana admitted with a dreamy expression.

“Morgana, you love Merlin!” Gwen exclaimed.

“I … that’s not it, Gwen. I’m sure that it must be something else.”

“No, everything that you have described matches with you being in love with him. You long for Merlin, Morgana, and all this time we have been friends, you never spoke about someone else the way you did when talking about him.”

“It cannot be, Gwen.” Morgana said, distressed.

“Why, because of Uther?”

“If I get anywhere close to Merlin, he’ll lose his head, and not caused by being madly in love with me, you know that!” The young seer reminded her friend, clearly distressed.

“Yes, I know.” Guinevere said, conformed. Then added, grinning wickedly: “What about Merlin, does he have any clue about your feelings?”

“Of course not, Gwen!” She exclaimed and turned her face grumbling in a low voice: “Not that I have feelings for him.”

“Yes you do! I’ve know you for more than ten years, Morgana.” She told her sternly, trying unsuccessfully to seem as if she was scolding her friend, but immediately giggled and continued: “You can’t lie to me. It’s just impossible!” and grinned at her friend.

Both of the girls giggled, forgetting for a moment the severity of the situation, more focused in being two lovesick young women talking about love. For those few instants, Morgana also forgot that she had to lie to Gwen about her having magic, just one more of Uther’s prohibitions.

When their bliss calmed down and they remembered their reality, lady and servant assumed a somber expression.

“Nothing can come out of this. I can’t marry him, I can’t be close to him, by the gods, I can’t even see him!” Morgana exclaimed, frustrated she threw her hands to the air, in order to ensure that her drama wouldn’t go unnoticed, continuing after: “I don’t even know if he feels the same.” To that, Gwen glanced at her incredulous, with a face that expressed ‘you’re-THE-lady-Morgana-every-man-in-Camelot-would-die-for-a-chance-to-be-loved-by-you-of-course-Merlin-is-no-exception’, but Morgana decided to ignore her and continued: “For once, because I think he has feelings for you!”

“Morgana, that’s absurd!!” Guinevere promptly said. “I had a crush on him, a long time ago, but he never gave me any sort of hope! You were the one that immediately caught his attention!” Gwen told her, out of breath as she spilled those words without a pause to breathe.

“I don’t know, Gwen, I questioned him about his love for you once, he didn’t deny it, in fact he seemed relieved that I had noticed it and promised to keep it a secret.”

“Maybe, my lady, he has another secret, as he seriously doesn’t have feelings for me.”

Morgana frowned and inquired:

“How can you be so sure, Gwen?”

“Because I kissed him, after the poison incident, and he didn’t go after me, nor has made any move to be in a relationship with me.” Her friend stated.

“You kissed him? Why didn’t you tell me?” The young seer asked, with wide eyes.

“Well, I was so relieved that he was alive that I didn’t think at all, just acted.” Gwen admitted. “When he didn’t show any interest in me after **that** , I sort of gave up, then Lancelot showed up and you know the rest.” She finished the last sentence blushing. “Also, so many things happened, I just guess I forgot to tell you.”

“Gwen!” Morgana squealed in a high pitch.

“I’m sorry, Morgana, it just slipped through my mind.”

 _But that also means Merlin has another secret, huh?_ Morgana thought.

“Fine, Gwen, I’ll let this one slide, but don’t expect me to do so in the future.” She pretended to be extremely offended while saying the last sentence, but couldn’t contain her own laughter and both ended up giggling.

“I’ll investigate his feelings, my lady, as an apology, ok?” She said, chuckling in the end.

Morgana was sniggering, but her mood grew somber as her friend mentioned Merlin and emotions in the same sentence.

“Please, Gwen, it’s better not to delve on it. While Uther lives, I can’t be together with him, and knowing that he feels the same would only be worse. It’d make me angrier towards Uther and it’d make me and Merlin even more miserable. Maybe, if he isn’t aware of all those things, he will be spared from the heartache.”

“I understand, Morgana. I won’t ask him.” Gwen answered, sad for her best friend’s decision, even though she knew it wasn’t incomprehensible.

 

* * *

 

 

“Merlin, I want you to sit down.” Gaius told his ward.

“Gaius, should I be worried? Don’t tell me that you found out and you’re going to scold me?”

“Found out what, Merlin?” His guardian asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Nothing.” The young warlock said, nonchalantly.

“Meeerlin.”

“It’s true, Gaius, I’m not lying, not at all.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” Then he added: “Don’t you think that you’ll scape it, my boy.”

“Okay, Gaius …” He pouted and continued: “But your original purpose was to say …” he widened his eyes and gesticulated so that the physician would tell him already.

“Morgana is with child, Merlin.”

“I cannot believe it! Gaius, I don’t even remember, how could this–”

“Merlin, you know how things work, you’ve already learned this lesson.” Gaius answered impatiently.

“Yes, I know, Gaius.” The young warlock rolled his eyes. “What do we do from now on?”

“That’s not the only thing, my boy.”

“What? There’s more?”

“Morgana has manifested active magic. I think the pregnancy has enhanced her powers.”

“WHAAAT?”

“You heard me, Merlin.” The old physician replied.

“Yes, but I can’t believe it!” He said, giggling.

“This is no reason for celebration. Magic is still forbidden in Camelot, the punishment for practicing it is still death.” The old man said in a somber tone.

“Yes, but that means she is like me, I’m not alone here!” He was gleaming with joy.

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned about Uther’s reaction, Merlin?” Gaius said, raising his eyebrow.

“Oh, yes, of course, Uther.” The young warlock answered, fumbling with his words.

Still staring at his ward, assessing if he was truly realizing the severity of the situation, Gaius proceeded: “It was a delicate matter to solve, my boy. The king desired your head, but Morgana’s magic reacted and Arthur too stood up against his decision, so you were spared.”

As he said so, Gaius could notice that his protégé lost the goofy grin on his face and began to show fear.

“The king believes that Morgana having magic is also part of the Sidhe enchantment. For the moment I was able to convince him that he is correct.”

“But he isn’t. She has magic, she was born with it, like me!” Merlin spoke, with enthusiasm again.

“No, she isn’t, my boy.” His guardian remembered him, adding: “She isn’t as powerful as you and even if she were, you can never have a relationship beyond friendship, even though she is pregnant with your child.”

“But that’s unfair, Gaius!”

“Yes, my boy, but this is life. Life is unfair.” The old man said sternly.

“It doesn’t have to be like this. We can find another way.”

“Merlin, be realistic! The only other way is for you to elope with Morgana! Would you abandon your destiny like this? Would you let everyone with magic perish because you didn’t like what life reserved to you?” Gaius inquired, seriously.

“No, Gaius! I know I can’t scape my fate! And I don’t want to! It’s just that it isn’t right for a child to suffer for the situation of her parents! And I’m old enough to take responsibility for my actions, even if I wasn’t entirely on control that night! It’s the right thing to do, marry the mother of my child!” He said so passionately.

“Merlin, if your social positions were compatible, I’m sure that this was what Uther would demand of you, but that isn’t the reality.” The old physician spoke as if remembering every hardship he had sustained. “Reality is harsh, the only thing you can do is cope with it.”

“But Gaius–”

“Merlin, I know better, trust me.” He answered sternly.

“Fine.” The young warlock spoke, conformed with his destiny.

“I have not finished yet. The king decided that we must find a cure–”

“He’s insane, there’s no cure for magic.” Merlin chuckled.

“Do not interrupt me while I’m speaking, Merlin.”

“Sorry, Gaius. Please, go on.”

“As I was saying, he asked to find a cure and also decided to keep the pregnancy a secret. For that, I suggested the use of blood crystals, because like this no one would suspect of her condition as Morgana could freely show herself in public with an unaltered shape.”

“How, Gaius? What does these blood crystals do?”

“They change the form of a person to someone else’s if it has a drop of blood from the person that its user tries to impersonate. It also can be used for the same person to keep a former frame that no longer exist.”

“But isn’t it also magic, Gaius? How did Uther agreed? More important, why didn’t he send you to the pyre?”

“Because Morgana is very dear to him, my boy. You know that.”

“I don’t know anything. When she helped Mordred scape, he almost strangled her! Arthur told me!” He exclaimed and before the old man could reply, he added: “Also, he is a hypocrite for doing this! He beheads and burns people for having magic, saying it’s evil, and then goes and uses the very same ‘sorcery’ that he so vehemently condemns when someone he cares is involved.”

“Merlin, he is the king. We can’t go against him.”

“But this isn’t fair, Gaius!”

“I’ve already told you, my boy, life isn’t fair.” He told him, in a somber tone.

“Fine, Gaius.” He unwillingly complied.

“If you allow me to continue, I’ll tell you the rest.” Gaius raised his eyebrow again and Merlin nodded. Satisfied with his answer, the old man kept speaking: “As I told you, in the meantime Morgana needs to know how to control her magic. There’s were you get involved.” When Merlin gave him a questioning glance, Gaius added: “Not that you needed, you’ve already took part in a lot of events, but there’s no other way.” He paused briefly, making sure his ward was following his line of thoughts, and continued: “You’ll acquire more than one blood crystal and shall disguise yourself as me. Then, you shall teach Morgana magic, because I don’t have any experience with innate powers while you do.” The old man said all so fast that Merlin blinked fast to keep up with his pace.

“So you’re saying I can see Morgana?”

“Meeeeerlin.” The warning could be understood from the way the old man spoke, but the young warlock still asked innocently:

“What?”

“You know what, my boy. Don’t do anything stupid.” Gaius replied, raising his eyebrow again.

“I won’t, I promise!” He answered and grinned goofily.

“Humph, you better not, if you value your life and other body parts.” Gaius said so pointing to Merlin’s nether regions. Instinctively, the young man covered those parts with his hands, as if blocking them from view could make them safer.


	7. Chapter 6

“Morgana, today we shall begin your ‘herbalist’ lessons. As a first lecture, I’ll show you how to use your ‘instrument’ for the following months.” Merlin disguised as Gaius said, doing imaginary quote marks with his hands every time he changed magic or the reference of a magical item for another name.

“Gaius, you don’t need to do that. We’re in my chambers, at night, Gwen already went home and the guards have orders not to disturb us under any circumstances. Even if we wanted to show the entirety of Camelot that I have magic, I don’t think that would possible, because Uther would bark something first and everybody would turn a blind eye.” She tried to lighten the mood.

Merlin chuckled – totally un-Gaius-like when someone was making a joke about the king – but her attempt to calm his nerves had the opposite effect. He was even more self-conscious that they were alone in her bedchambers and more, without the slight possibility of being interrupted during their lesson time. His heart was beating fast inside his chest, maybe at the same speed as a small bird’s during a flight.

For a moment, he just smiled to her and admired her beauty, completely forgetting that he was supposed to teach her how to control her magic and give her a blood crystal. He glanced at her belly, but had the presence of mind to do it quickly. Her, the idea of having impregnated her, being face-to-face with Morgana again after one month, the notion that he could freely (well, not exactly) touch her, smell her scent, appreciate her, listen to her clever remarks that sometimes filled his heart with hope that other people that sympathized with magic were there, just waiting for it to be freely accepted again (duh, she also had magic, she was more than that, much more), well, the goodness of her heart, in the end everything that made her the Morgana he loved (wait, love?).

Her words abruptly took him out of his reverie:

“Gaius, Gaius, are you feeling unwell?”

“What?” He replied.

“You were staring blankly at me, your mouth was open and you let drool fall on the ground.” She inquired, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Oh!” He suddenly remembered he was using Gaius’s image (and maybe his guardian would be cross with him once he heard a report about the events of the first lesson) “No, Morgana.” He liked how her name sounded when it left his mouth and if he were as himself and she were being comprehensive with his lack of rational thought, he would repeat her name indefinitely just to test how it sounded. For him, it was like an entire symphony (what? There he was, exaggerating again). Merlin shook his head like a dog, what must have been an entire unusual sight if you combined his actions with Gaius’s frame. That particular action made Morgana even more confused and worried, to which Merlin simply spilled the words in one single breath:

“I took a little bit of ale to give this lesson, it makes me do strange things, I drank because it’s been a long time that I haven’t practiced magic.”

“Fine.” She said, still furrowing her eyebrows. Then she extended her hand in the direction of a chair near the table of her room. “I think it’s better if we seat, Gaius.”

He nodded and followed her lead.

Once they settled, we was again mesmerized by her eyes. Damn, all the implications of having held her in his arms, the idea that she carried a new life, that was half him half her, always turned him into a babbling idiot. All this situation was making his worst nightmare come true: Arthur being right about something.

Again, she was the one to rescue him from his dreamland:

“Gaius, Gaius, have you been listening?” She asked.

“Hummm, what?” The mentally kicked himself, he was finally learning to know beforehanded what the prat told him most of the time, so not listening to the prince wasn’t a problem (in fact they were turning into moments that he could use to better his concentration when he needed to do something important while in the middle of a lot of noise), but not listening to Morgana because he was staring at her was definitely reprehensible. And the worst part, with Gaius’s face it could be a little bit (just a little, not that he’d admit to his mentor) creepy. He was sure Morgana was getting uncomfortable with all the eyeing.

“I was asking about the magical item that you’d show me.” She replied and as he was still mentally confused regarding what she was talking about, she complemented: “The one for the following months.”

“Ohhhhhhhh, that!” He said as if she had just saved his life in the last few seconds. “Here.” He took a blood crystal from one of the tunic’s pocket (don’t ask how that clothing has a pocket) and gave it to her, continuing to speak: “It’s a blood crystal.”

“What does it do?” She inquired with curiosity.

He took a few seconds to appreciate her expression before he answered: “If you spill blood of a person on it and another uses the necklace, the one with the crystal will take the shape of the owner of the blood. It can also be used by the same person whose blood is dropped, so that he or she can present the appearance they had when they spilled the blood.”

“Oh, so that’s the plan to conceal my pregnancy? Making me look slim during the next eight or so months?” She asked.

“Yes. Look at the bright side, many vain women would kill for a chance to remain thin during a pregnancy.” He grinned at her.

“I guess that ale improves your sense of humor, Gaius.” She smiled at him. “What do you know about it, huh? Heard any complaints about bellies and weight gain from the many pregnant women that you have attended to?” She also grinned.

“Not many. Most women that I’ve seen during pregnancies were braver than an incredible high amount of soldiers.” He smiled at her, but in the back of his mind he was reminded that she would also have to go through labor, and that many lost their lives during that time, both mother and child. So, instead of ruining the light mood, he continuing with the small talk: “I’d love to have one of those to myself. Can you imagine it? Not having to shave for days and the best part, not listening to people saying that a rat decided to inhabitate on my face?” He grinned at her, in a goofy way, and she openly laughed at his joke. He took the chance to fully that the sight of her laughter.

“That was funny, Gaius. You seem so different today.” She said, still giggling.

“Me, no, no, no.” She gave him a look that made him modify his statement. “Ok, maybe a little. But don’t tell this to nobody. It’s our secret.” He smiled wickedly at her.

Morgana nodded and asked him:

“How does it work?”

“You have to put a drop of blood and say the spell’s words.” He replied.

“So there’s already a spell on the first day?” She inquired enthusiastically.

“Yes, but you’re not the one performing it.” He mimicked Gaius’s eyebrow lifting, which was incredibly easy in that form, while it was extremely hard for him to impersonate that particular gesture of his guardian in his own original appearance. He proceeded the explanation: “First you’ll have to control your innate power, so that it doesn’t run wild when you’re stressed.” At those words, she pouted and he thought that she looked even prettier doing so, if that was even possible.

“First, I need a little bit of your blood.” He told her.

“Ok, I’ll get my dagger to scratch my fingertip.” She raised herself from the seat and went to her bed table, moving her hips while she walked. He couldn’t help but to follow her with his eyes and was almost caught ogling when she spin when she got the object.

When she returned to her position on the table, she pierced her finger and let a drop of blood fall on top of the crystal surface. As that happened, Merlin inclined himself to the object and chanted:

“ **Þece treowee andwlitan heora fram gesiht eallra**!”

His eyes glowed gold and the crystal seemed to absorb the blood. Satisfied with his work, Merlin smiled and was surprised as Morgana grabbed his own crystal and pulled the necklace from him.

“Merlin!”   


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC  
> Warnings: domestic violence (from Morgana’s part, poor Merlin), goofy (or crappy if you’re particularly mean today) humor (that’s the author’s fault).

“ **Merlin**!” Morgana exclaimed, astonished that the man that had performed magic in front of her mere seconds before was the very one that she was forbidden to see. So, that was his true secret, the one he felt so relieved when he thought she knew it. It all made sense, his actions under Gaius’s guise, his smile, his stare, his humor, she was only frustrated that she hadn’t figured out it was Merlin before. When he gave an explanation about the blood crystals and then obliviously showed he was wearing one, she saw it the moment he inclined she knew that the man in front of her wasn’t Gaius. The old physician never looked at her like that, certainly never drooled in her presence, but she never expected that Merlin was the one teaching her magic. Damn it, she was confused! He had magic and had kept it a secret from her, he was using a magical item to go against the king’s direct orders (she was in part angry at him for not telling her and glad that he took such risks just to see her and keep her safe, but she wouldn’t show him for the moment). Her heart was beating faster and she was uncertain if she should scold him or hug him. She didn’t have the time to decide, as he spoke:

“You shouldn’t have discovered! Gaius will kill me! Oh, but he’ll have to wait in the line, I think the king takes priority, then Arthur or you, I don’t know. Guess Gaius will have to do with what is left of me.” He smiled nervously.

She slapped his shoulder and he protested:

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“For lying to me!” She replied angrily, choosing to scold him. “When I told you that I knew your secret – **and was wrong about it** – you should have told me the truth!” She gave particular emphasis to the wrong part.

“Hey, I didn’t lie that time! You just assumed that my secret was something different! It’s not my fault that you did that!” He defended himself.

“To omit also constitutes a form of lie!” She countered and slapped his arm again.

“Ouch! Stop that! I’m a person, not a dummy for fighting practice!” He said, this time grabbing her hands.

“You are a liar, Merlin! How could you keep the truth from me?” Tears were beginning to form on her eyes, and she blamed her blasted hormones for such an emotional response.

“Please, calm down. If you keep being too loud, I’m sure you’ll catch the guards’ attention. I’m not even supposed to be here!” He pleaded to her and she nodded while sobbing.

“Thank you, for not contributing to turn my head into one of Camelot’s exterior walls decoration.” He said with a goofy smile.

Even though she was still mad at him, she couldn’t help but giggle at his remark.

“Morgana, I’m sorry, but you have to understand. I didn’t choose magic, it chose me. I was born with it. I came to Camelot seeking instructions from Gaius, because my mother knew him and was aware that he had knowledge concerning magic. I had trouble controlling it and Gaius helped me, but he also made me promise to keep it a secret, as did my mother.” He paused briefly, looking into her eyes to make sure she was being soothed by his words. As she didn’t protest, he continued:

“It’s not as if I didn’t want to tell you, it was that I couldn’t. And I’m sorry for that.” He pleaded for her to understand him, while releasing her arms from his grip.

She nodded and said: “I understand. Camelot isn’t the most magic friendly place, so Gaius’s and your mother’s concern is justified.” She smiled weakly at him.

“So, does this means that you have forgiven me? Will you please give me the blood crystal back?” He asked.

“No.” She replied shortly and grinned wickedly at him.

“Morgana …” He warned.

“No, if you want it, you’ll have to catch me!” She defied him, while grinning and running from him.

He didn’t understand any longer what passed through her head. One moment she was about to cry, furious at him, and in the other she was playing with him? He wasn’t sure if it that was an example of a pregnancy mood swing or he just was incapable of understanding women in general.

Anyway, he chased her around the bedchambers, hearing her giggle and chuckling himself. Their situation was at least bizarre, the mere fact that he was in her presence would already cost him his head (and other body parts **before** they took his head off his neck). He having magic in Camelot was only another cause for his imminent execution (if caught) and on top of it all, consorting with **THE** Lady Morgana, simply Uther’s ward and the most beautiful woman on the land, would also be considered a grave crime. In short, he was a dead man still walking around, in this case running after the same woman that would most likely cause his death. And the most unbelievable thing: he has never been happier in his life than he was at that moment.

When he finally caught her, the two lost balance with his sudden movement and fell onto her bed with him on top of her, with a squeal from Morgana and a grunt from Merlin.

They were both out of breath and giggling to one another and, for a moment, they just stared to the others’ eyes, slowly ceasing their laughters. It was supposed to be awkward, eyeing the other without saying anything, but the atmosphere definitely wasn’t strange. It was quite the opposite, they both felt a pleasant feeling by being at each other’s presence. Gazing at her eyes, lowering his sight to her lips sometimes, Merlin wondered if he should kiss her, but fear that he could upset her or make their situation even more complicated paralyzed him.

Morgana bit her bottom lip in an alluring manner, also wanting to seal their lips together, but she too was scared, she was afraid that he didn’t feel the same way about her or that by doing so would only endanger him more.

So, for a long moment, they just stared at one another, expecting the other to make the first move, as if they were both bewitched at each other’s sight.

In a lapse of self-preservation instinct, Merlin decided that kissing her would be a stupid thing, so he got out of her bed, facing the opposite wall and leaving her still laid on the soft mattress. When he did that, he instantly missed the proximity of her warm body and her enthralling emerald eyes. The only thing that he didn’t know was that she was feeling the same way, tasting the bitterness after such a sweet moment, missing his nearness, his entrancing well shaped lips and his gorgeous sapphire eyes.

He cleared his throat and told her:

“We should be practicing erm … ‘herbalism’”

 “Merlin, stop, I already told you that you can speak freely here.” She reprimanded him while keeping a soft tone of voice as she stood up.

“Fine, whatever name we give it, our purpose is for you to learn how to control your gifts.” He said, still too much embarrassed (and unsure if he could contain himself and at the same time conceal his traitorous little guy that had risen from the realm of dreams when she bit her lower lip) to turn and face her.

As he heard her soft footsteps coming closer into his direction, he promptly went in the direction of the table and seated on a chair, almost falling in the process, which rendered from her the following question:

“What was that for?”

“Do you think only you can be spontaneous? I can be too!” He said, proudly of himself as he had hid his current state from her. She giggled and replied:

“You’re strange, Merlin. You can rest assured, I don’t bite.” She teased and continued: “I was just going to give your crystal back, not hit you, I guarantee.” She grinned at him.

“Here’s my hand.” He extended his hand and began pointing at his palm with his finger, in quick succession. “You can place it here.” He mentally kicked himself again for acting like a dork in front of her, damn it, he always acted strangely when he was nervous. But she only laughed at his reaction, got closer to him (which increased his heart’s speed rate), gave him the blood crystal and took a seat opposed to him.

He was about to put the necklace on again when she stopped him:

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to give you this lesson as Gaius, as was the initial plan.” He answered.

“I don’t think that your plan predicted me finding out your true identity, Merlin. I don’t see why you should continue with it.” She reasoned with him.

“If someone gets here and sees us together, I’m dead.” He replied.

“But nobody will come in, I can guarantee.” She countered.

“It’s better to keep the appearances. If Uther comes in –”

“You can lock the door magically, so no matter who has the key, none will be able to enter.” She interrupted him.

“Morgana, that’s still risky …” He wasn’t completely convinced.

“Since when having some sort of privacy is a bad thing?” She retorted.

“What is the real reason for not wanting me with Gaius’s face?” He questioned her.

“Because it’s weird! I already know that’s with you that I’m talking to, that you’re the one performing and teaching me magic, if you do that you’ll ruin my mental image of Gaius!” She snapped and added dramatically: “Forever!”

“What, I’m not a bad impersonator of Gaius, you totally believed I was him, you even said I was funnier than him!” He retorted.

“I utterly couldn’t believe you were Gaius, why do you think that I snatched your crystal? For whom do you take me for, Arthur? I was sure that you weren’t him, Merlin. So, please, forget your ‘plan’, just stay as yourself during these few hours that we have lessons.” She pleaded him, using her big round clear eyes to do so, to which he hadn’t yet come to develop any sort of defenses against.

“Fine, as you wish, my lady.” He bowed his head

For an instant, both of them were silent, probably thinking about what to say next. It was Morgana the first one to speak:

“When did you show signs of magic? How was it? How did you feel about it? How was growing up with magic?”

“As I said, I was born with it. Before I could walk or speak, I was already moving objects with my magic. I don’t really remember when I noticed it was magic what I was doing, for me it was a natural thing to do, much like breathing.” He paused and gazed at her big green eyes again, noticing that he had her full attention, so he continued: “Trouble followed me everywhere, sometimes because the neighbors saw me practicing magic or were suspicious of it, sometimes because the other kids wanted to hit me, but they always failed as I had an advantage, other times it wasn’t even my magic that got me in trouble, but I’d always avoid more serious consequences with my gifts.” He grinned in a goofy way.

“It must have been fun, growing up practicing magic.” She replied.

“It was, but I had to leave Ealdor and my childhood when my mother discovered that Will knew about me having magic.” He said, feeling a pang of sadness for his recently lost friend.

“Oh, Will, your friend. Wait a moment, you wouldn’t have to hide your magic if he were a sorcerer too, so in truth you were the one that caused that whirlwind in Ealdor?” She inquired.

“Yes,” He scratched his head and kept saying: “He told that to Arthur because he was already dying, to keep me safe.” He lowered his head again and fought against a wild tear that would definitely fall if he didn’t contain it.

“I’m sorry, Merlin.” She said it sympathetically. “He surely was a good friend, I’m sorry that we couldn’t do more for him.” She added sincerely.

“Thank you, Morgana.” He sniffed.

“I don’t understand, Merlin. Why do you serve Arthur when you know he’d probably have you killed if he found out you’re a sorcerer. Why do you serve him, even after he said those things about Will? I wanted to hit him and I wasn’t the one he had actually wronged with those harsh words!” She exclaimed.

“Morgana, there’s more in Arthur, deep inside all that pratness. He has proved that he’ll be a good king in the future.” He retorted.

“I know he has a good heart, Merlin, but he can’t comprehend that persecuting people with magic is wrong! He believes in Uther’s poisonous words! He repeats the same speech as a well-trained dog, regardless of the good experiences he had with magic!” She protested.

At that moment, he wondered if it was fine to tell her the rest of the truth, about his and Arthur’s destiny. But Gaius had made him promise not to talk about that (well, he also made him promise not to reveal his true identity and look at the mess that came from that). Taking a deep breath, Merlin calmed down to make one of the most important decisions of his life: to be completely honest with Morgana and finally have someone like him, to whom he could be himself without any sorts of qualms; or to do as Gaius said and keep secrets from her. Oh, blast it, she was already carrying his child, probably sharing his burden was nothing compared to that, so he spoke:

“I’m Arthur’s manservant to keep him safe, Morgana. I do this because of our common fate, he is the Once and Future King, prophesized to bring back magic to the land and lead Albion to a Golden Age.”

She was shocked at his answer. Arthur, Prophesy, Albion, Golden Age? Who had said all those things to Merlin, and more, why did he believed it? The other thing, if what he said was true, how on earth would Arthur change his biased views concerning magic and not only stop persecuting those with it, but also restoring its former glory?

“But how? Who said that to you?” She asked him.

“The Great Dragon did. Gaius and the druid boy confirmed it.” He answered calmly, as if he had simply given her a simple description of a random stoic object.

“What, the dragon bellow Camelot’s foundations? And Gaius and the Druids confirmed?” She questioned again.

“Basically, yes.”

Okay, fine, she was convinced that he was speaking the truth and that he had a lot of courage confiding in her, he could as well keep everything else, but his magic, a secret. So she decided to say:

“Thank you, Merlin, for trusting such important secrets to me.” He smiled radiantly at her, which caused her heartbeat to increase and she proceeded: “I’ll keep your secrets.” And added teasingly “As long as you keep my owns.” And she smiled at him.

“You have my word.” He replied, satisfied and relieved that he had found someone to fully confide and be himself with. It was then that he noticed the warmth on his chest, he hadn’t felt this way around anybody else, he suspected its causes, but was too much scared to actually come to a conclusion towards his own emotions.

“So, as you are here, telling me your deepest secrets, is there anything else I should know?” She asked him, smiling wickedly.

“There’s one.” He suddenly remembered and completely missed the flirty way she was talking to him. “You’re a seer.”

“What?”  


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC  
> Warnings: more domestic violence, swearing and goofy humor.

“You’re a seer.”

“What?”  

“You know those that can see the future in –” She slapped him in the arm again, to which he cried out:

“Ouch! Stop doing that, Morgana! You have a heavy hand, it hurts a lot when you hit me!”

“In truth, my nightmares are visions! Gaius made me believe that they were only dreams and you backed him up with that lie! Do you have any idea of how much I have been scared to even sleep?”

“Morgana, please, you have to understand. He did that to protect you from Uther! And it was not my place to tell you the truth then, but I’m doing it now!” He retorted.

“Think about it! You told him about your dreams, not me!” He tried to reason with her.

“Yet he must have told you, as you’ve known that I’m a seer! The two of you have chosen to leave me in the dark while I was losing my sanity, thinking I was going mad!” She was still angry and her eyes glistened with tears.

“I’m sorry, Morgana, I just couldn’t tell you before. I’m sorry for that.” He stood up and she did the same, he was not sure if to run from him or to hit him again, so he hugged her and she reluctantly let him.

He kept repeating that he was sorry while drawing soothing circles in her back and she calmed down.

Then it became something more, the closeness of the other made them feel a warmth in their hearts and a comforting sensation. The two didn’t change their positions, afraid to break the spell that came upon them. Just being in each other’s arms like that was almost too good to be true after those days that they couldn’t even see one another. So, forgetting she was supposed to be mad at him, and forgetting the difference in their status, Merlin and Morgana just stood there, enjoying their embrace and the other’s presence.

Then suddenly, a stray strand of her hair got too close to Merlin’s nostril, causing him to turn his head and sneeze loudly: “AACHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO”.

That certainly took them both out of their reverie, and Morgana inquired, worriedly:

“Are you ok, Merlin?” She placed her hand on his forearm when she asked.

“I’m fine.” He answered groggy, still affected by the sneeze.

“Good.” She murmured and smiled at him.

He couldn’t help but be awed by her smile. He certainly preferred when she was being concerned with him and gracing him with her radiant smiles rather than hitting him or crying, so he stared at her with his boyish grin plastered on his face.

Suddenly, she remembered that she was supposed to be mad at him and extract the rest of the truth from him, only this time she wouldn’t abuse him physically. So, her expression acquired a serious demeanor, and she questioned him:

“I need you to tell me: did that dream about that girl from Tirmatur was true? Did she try to drown Arthur?”

“Yes, all of your dreams were true, Morgana. Well, that’s what Gaius told me, I just witnessed that one.” He replied.

“That bitch! I knew it was too strange for Arthur to be suddenly in love like that!” She exclaimed, pausing briefly before continuing: “So, I guess you stopped her? Does that mean Arthur owns you his life and I own you my thanks for saving him?” She spoke those sentences in a calmer tone and for some reason Merlin could tell, only by looking at her eyes, that she was thankful to him for saving the young prince.

“Yes, I did. She and her father were Sidhe that were banished from Avalon, their kingdom. She had to sacrifice a human prince to be accepted again there and she decided that Arthur was the offering.” He answered.

She brought her both hands to cover her mouth and gasped, muffling an “oh”.

“Sidhe, like the one that has enchanted us?” She asked.

“Humrum, but for other reasons.” He retorted.

“That wasn’t the only time you saved Arthur’s life, was it?” She inquired.

“No, let’s see.” He said, thoughtful and used his hands to help counting, grabbing his thumb at first and using his other fingers later: “There was the Mary Collins incident, then Valiant and the snakes …”

Morgana gasped again and interrupted:

“I also dreamed that he would threat Arthur!” and paused, remembering quickly and adding: “And that time it wasn’t a solo job, mister accomplished bodyguard.” She smiled at him flirty: “If I hadn’t thrown him that sword, Arthur would be history.”

“You’re right, we make a good team.” He admitted, chuckling.

“See, you just have to let me be part of your moments of fun, saving Arthur’s arse.” She smiled wickedly at him.

“Trust me, Morgana, it isn’t fun at all, saving the prat I mean.” He widened his eyes and raised his hands in front of him, then he narrowed his eyes and asked: “Do you have any idea how hard it is? He’s a magnet for trouble! Apparently, every magic creature or rogue sorcerer wants his pelt every three weeks or so!” She giggled, similar to the last time she said he could trust her with his secret.

“It’s fine now, you have my help from now on.” She grinned at him.

“Well, as long as you don’t overexert yourself, knowing of your condition, I think I’ll accept your offer.” He retorted, mirroring her grin.

“I won’t as long as you teach me some offensive and silent spells. I’ll make sure to hide behind a column before casting it.” She smiled at him.

“Fine, on the condition that you don’t use them against me. If you get angry at me again, I’d rather have to withstand your fist than your magic.” He joked, but it also had a hint of sincerity. If her hands were already extremely strong, imagine her magic!

She laughed and replied: “Okay, I promised to only slap you from now on.”

“That’s reassuring, now I can sleep at ease knowing that at the worst case scenario you’ll just leave me with a good and old hematoma, no broken bones at all.” He said sarcastically.

“I didn’t hit you so strongly, Merlin.” She argued and said uncertainly: “I think.”

“Yes, you did, my lady. I prefer ten hits from Arthur than one slap from you.” He retorted.

She laughed, thinking that he was joking, to which he said:

“I’m serious.”

She got startled at his answer. Well, she hit him because she was infuriated due to his lies, but she didn’t imagine that she could actually cause so much pain with a simple slap, nevertheless, she decided to say:

“I’m sorry, Merlin, for hitting you. It’s just that you had lied to me and about a grave subject. I felt really betrayed!” She said, frowning and crossing her arms bellow her breasts.

“I know, Morgana.” He said, shyly.

“But you’re right. I shouldn’t have slapped you so hard.” She dropped her arms along her sides.

He nodded and the both of them smiled again. It was as if they caused that effect on the other: it didn’t matter what they had done, a mere smile or a friendly gesture was enough for the other to forgive whatever wrongdoing they did before and they couldn’t be angry at each other for long. Well, that was certainly a dangerous thing, but they didn’t seem to care.

Remembering that he was supposed to be teaching her how to control her magic, Merlin said:

“Morgana, you should be learning how to control your magic and I should be teaching you. So, can we sit once more?” He asked.

“Yes, we can.” And she settled again on her seat before adding: “But you won’t be teaching me magic today.” She said in an imperative tone while raising her chin.

“No?” He asked, confused.

“No. Today you’ll tell me everything, every adventure that you had while protecting Arthur and Camelot.” She smiled brightly at him and once again he was stunned by her beauty, which lead to a delayed answer from him:

“Oh, right. Camelot. Arthur.” He stumbled with his words.

And they ended up talking about everything he had done for Arthur’s sake and sometimes she laughed with him, other times she reassured him that he did the right thing, nevertheless at some points she disagreed with him, about what he should have done then, but in the end they mostly enjoyed their time together.

When the final minutes of her lesson were ending, Merlin put his necklace on again while he went to her chamber’s entrance, provoking a small whine from her. She accompanied him to the door and before he could open it, she took his necklace from him again, kissed his left cheek and said:

“As a thank you, for all the times you saved Arthur’s life and Camelot.” After that she gently placed the magical item around his neck and he took Gaius frame once more.

“Sleep well.” She said, while he left her bedchambers. He nodded and she closed the door.

For a while, she leaned with her back against the door, thinking about everything that had happened that night and the kiss (even though was only on his cheek) that she had given him.

When she closed the door, Merlin’s mind was still hazy with what happened. Morgana had kissed him (only his cheek though) and she was so … god damn perfect!! Ok, maybe violent at the beginning of his revelations, but them, their conversation went so smoothly! He never thought it would be so easy to talk about everything with someone else, who would imagine that he would experience that with her! Surely, at her previous statements about magic he was aching to tell her the truth, in part because he wanted her to understand her dreams and what she was going through, and in part because he wanted someone to fully confide in, someone that could understand how he feels and at the same time could inspire him to be a better person. Surely Gaius guided him and listened to his worries, he even thanked him, but his mentor’s recognition paled severely in comparison with hers. Obviously, a kiss from Gaius wouldn’t be so good and heartwarming, he thought and grinned, raising his hand to where she had kissed him.

Well, at that night all the guards on duty witnessed what seemed as the happiest day for the old physician, as Merlin under his guise passed by them greeting everyone with the brightest smile they’ve seen plastered on someone’s face.

 

* * *

 

 

“You seem overjoyed today, Morgana.” Arthur noticed that his foster sister was smiling radiantly during the entire time of their meal together. Well, she didn’t even faked a smile to his father, which was an unusual event as she constantly disagreed with the king’s opinions and struggled to maintain some civility between them. And there was more, that fact had only been aggravated since all the “fairy incident”. Nonetheless, here she was, happy as child that had gained a new toy. Damn it, she was almost glistering today, he was sure that there would be fallen knights, nobles and guards, all victims of her charms. He whispered to her, as they were supposed to keep it a secret:

“Are you happy to begin your lessons? Is that it? Already planning to hex me or father with your sorcery?” He teased.

“That was totally inappropriate, Arthur.” She reprimanded him, furrowing her eyebrows, and added: “But yes, I am happy, quite a lot.” She smiled and continued: “And you know what, if you pester me too much I’ll turn you into a dog, so that you can be exactly what Uther desires from you: obedient, dependent of his approval and a total fawner!” She teased him and spoke before he could reply: “Oh, wait, you’re already all that! Come on, Arthur, give me your pawn and I’ll speak highly of you to your owner.” She made fun of him.

“Morgana, that wasn’t even funny, just plainly mean.” He retorted.

“If you can’t take it, then don’t start with the low blows.” She told him seriously.

“I just did an inoffensive joke, you’re the one that overreacted here.” He countered.

“No, Arthur, you mocked my entire morality and doubted my character by saying I could be able to curse you or Uther with my ‘you-know-what’”

“Hey, that wiped out that silly grin from your face, so that counts as my victory.” He said in triumphal.

“Only if you count insensibility as one of your most commendable virtues.” She countered.

“Hey!” He protested while she kept going:

“Humrum, that’s the quality of the most beloved leaders.” She said sarcastically.

“Arthur! Morgana! Stop your bickering!” Uther scolded his children.

Lately he was easily irritated by any of their usual small fights, by the smallest disobedience or mistake from their part. Surely, Gaius not having found a cure for Morgana’s ‘curse’ was affecting his peace of mind, so the once insignificant things for him were now taking an entirely different meaning and he was overreacting. Due to his obsessive thought, the king has become even more bitter in the previous days and the idea of provoking an abortion on Morgana wasn’t fully discarded. No, he was just thinking how he could outsmart her and her accursed momentary sorcery.

Meanwhile, Morgana was totally unaware of the danger and her mind roamed to Merlin and his beautiful well-shaped mouth. Not even Uther nor Arthur could ruin her mood, and when the king adverted them, she decided to comply instead of standing her ground. Only for now, his harsh words couldn’t lessen the happiness she felt for being able to be close to Merlin again, even though she wasn’t sure if he felt the same way (because he HAD safely avoided her seductive bite of her lower lip, a move she was sure that could lead any man slightly interested in her to kiss her right away, but he didn’t and she also hadn’t been brave enough to steal the kiss and get over with it once and for all.)                  


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC  
> Warnings: someone decided it was “beat-Merlin-day”, so expect a lot of physical and verbal abuse towards our beloved warlock.

“Merlin! You’re late again!” Arthur exclaimed while standing in the middle of his bedchambers.

“Sorry, sire, I had to run some errands for Gaius until late last night. So it was hard to wake up.” He stifled a yawn to prove his tiredness.

“Are you an idiot, Merlin? It’s already past lunch!” The prince said in exasperation.

“And you survived until now, huh? Guess you are an accomplished Prince, you were able to even get dressed by yourself and grab breakfast too!” The young warlock exclaimed joyfully.

To that, Arthur slapped Merlin’s head.

“Ouch! Why did you hit me for stating the truth?”

“Merlin, you’re six hours or more late!!!! I should send you to the stocks for that!!” He puffed in anger.

“I have a good excuse for that!”

 _I couldn’t sleep last night at all, thinking about the Lady Morgana, our babies, our magic, the kiss she gave me on the cheek_. Merlin thought, grinning at the memories from the previous night.

Seeing his servant’s clouded expression and silly grin, Arthur hit his head again, to what the other man responded:

“Ouch! That hurts!”

“That’s the idea, _Mer_ lin!!!” The prince hissed and added: “You should’ve been doing your job instead of daydreaming all around the place!”

“Someone is grumpy.” The warlock murmured.

“What did you say?” His master asked, visibly irritated.

“Oh, nothing.” Merlin answered. The young prince slapped Merlin’s head again.

“Owww. What did I do this time?”

“Mumbled some nonsense out of nowhere!” The prince huffed.

“Sire, your level of pratness is higher today. Do you need a drink or a potion to relax?” Merlin inquired.

“No! I need you to properly do your job for a change!” He retorted angrily.

“But I am. I didn’t evaded even one single hit you gave me, all out of kindness.” He grinned.

“It’s more like inability.” The prince replied, this time not sounding angry.

“It can be.” Merlin said, raising his shoulders and showing his palms. “Tell me, Arthur, what’s wrong?”

“Beside the fact that you’re an useless servant and I don’t know why I haven’t fired you yet?” The prince inquired in his prat tone, before adding, in a softer voice: “Father has been really harsh lately. Everything we do seems to enrage him, no matter how insignificant it may be.” He said thoughtfully and muttered: “And there’s Morgana…”

“But the king being hard to you is not out an extraordinary thing.” The young warlock stated.

“Watch your tongue! You’re speaking of the king!” The prince adverted.

“We’re talking about your father here, parenting isn’t one of his kingly duties.”

“Sometimes you tell things that aren’t completely nonsense, Merlin.” Arthur said, narrowing his eyes and added: “Anyway, it isn’t as if he was this stressed before **someone** was enchanted by those fairies.” He said in an accusing tone.

“Hey, that was hardly my fault! And you have admitted that!” Merlin protested.

“So that you could keep your head! Seriously, I don’t even know why I bother to explain something to you. You’re an idiot!” Arthur said, and by then Merlin was already understanding that when the prince was distraught he tended to become even more of a prat. So, the young magician decided to ignore that commentary and said:

“What did he do, Arthur?”

The prince lowered his head and let the concern for his father’s actions show as he replied:

“He is constantly irritated. Anything that we do is a reason for him to scold us. You see, I was having a friendly talk with Morgana during lunch and he interrupted us, telling us to stop bickering.”

“Morgana …” The your servant repeated her name as if he was saying a sacred word. The young prince merely hit his head again.

“Ouch, it hurts!”

“Do you know what will hurt even more? Having your useless parts ripped from you and having to chew them before your head falls from your neck!” The prince said exalted, remembering Merlin from Uther’s threat.

“But I just said her name! That doesn’t count as me disobeying the prohibition!” Merlin argued.

“Yes, but if anyone catch you saying her name like that, you’ll be as good as dead!”

“Oh, Arthur, I’m flattered. I didn’t know that you cared so much about my wellbeing.” Merlin replied, grinning at the prince, which elicited another slap and another protest.

“Stop it, Merlin! I already told you why I didn’t let Father have your head.” He paused briefly, pointing at the warlock’s nether regions: “And other parts. But you’re abusing your luck by reacting like that to the mere mention of her name!”

“I only ‘react like that’ when I’m near a clot pole like you, so you can rest assured, I won’t get caught.” Merlin grinned.

“You aren’t taking this seriously, Merlin!” Arthur huffed in irritation. “You deflowered her, do you have any idea of how it is perfectly fine to spill your blood to make amends for your offense?”

“But I was enchanted! It isn’t like I ‘offended’ her willingly. Not that I would mind to do it with my clear mind.” Merlin smiled mischievously.

“MERLIN!” Arthur cried out, indignant.

“Not that she’d want it, though. I think she’d probably beat the living soul out of me.” He smiled in a goofy way. That dismissal of the idea wasn’t enough, the prince grabbed the first object he could – which was an empty metal mug – and hit the servant’s head with it.

That time, Merlin felt the world spin with the blow and had trouble keeping balance. He held his head between his hands and waited for the dizziness to pass before being able to hear Arthur’s words:

“Don’t you ever say that again, Merlin! Not even as a joke!” The prince was utterly enraged, his face was red and he took another breath before saying: “She is like a sister to me, I won’t allow you to disrespect her like that!”

“Merlin, look at me.” The prince commanded and his servant obeyed once he was able to think again. Arthur added: “You can never see nor touch her, you cannot have any sort of affections for her, you can’t be her friend, in fact, you can’t be anything of hers. Are we understood?”

“Yes, sire.” Merlin lowered his head and answered.

“There’s one more thing. The only reason **I** haven’t personally killed you was because you both were out of your minds.” The prince said in a disheartened tone.

“Yes, sire.” The younger man replied. After a few moments of silence, he hesitantly asked:

“Do you have feelings for her, Arthur? I mean, romantic feelings.”

“Do you have a death wish today, _Mer_ lin?” The prince retorted, annoyed.

“No, it’s just …” He couldn’t find the words so Arthur said:

“Guilt for ruining her life? Or do you actually care at all?”

“Both, I think.” The warlock answered sincerely.

“I’ve spent most of my life believing I’d marry her, Merlin.” The prince sighed, too tired to start another petty fight. “I tried to get used to the idea and when we discovered of her pregnancy, I thought it was the right thing to do, as none of you were at fault.” He confessed.

“So, as you don’t know if you are able to make an heir without my aid – as you cannot even get properly dressed in the morning without me – you just decided to go on and have a fully ready family?” Merlin joked, but in part he was jealous about the idea of Arthur marrying Morgana.

“MERLIN!” The prince thrown a bucket at the servant. The warlock took the blow and said:

“Sorry, I take back what I said. I believe in you, Arthur. I know you’re plenty capable of making your own heirs.”

“What’s wrong with you today?!”

“Nothing, I guess. I’m normally like this.” Merlin grinned widely at him.

“And to think that here I was, explaining my reasoning to you! You’re an idiot!”

“You mean you were telling me your feelings.” Merlin stated.

“No, absolutely not!” The prince snorted and said: “Only girls talk about their feelings, _Mer_ lin.”

“Anyway, you were saying …” The servant gestured for the prince to continue, which he did, after grunting something inaudible:

“I was saying that I proposed a marriage to Morgana, because it was the right thing to do.” He said, and inside Merlin was flinching, but didn’t show, only waited for the prince to clear his thoughts: “But father refused it, saying that he had already promised me to another.” Arthur said and his friend could notice the sadness in his voice.

“So you won’t get married?” Merlin asked to be sure.

“No, we won’t.” Arthur sighed and the warlock didn’t like it, because that could mean that Arthur indeed had feelings for Morgana, even though he wasn’t allowed to act based on them, pretty much like Merlin himself.

“Not that I wanted to, I was just being honorable!” The blond-haired man added with a renewed energy, continuing: “Imagine how my life would be a living hell having Morgana as my wife! She would want to rule in my stead, that cheeky woman! Can you picture it, Merlin?”

“Yes, sire.” He answered and his tone irritated Arthur because it was slightly disrespectful, even though he was keeping his proper conduct as a servant.

“Just shut up, _Mer_ lin!” And this time the prince only thrown him his dirty laundry.

The servant caught them all in midair, but one of the shirts fell right on his face, to which Merlin commented:

“Arthur, I have something extremely serious to tell you.”

“What is it, _Mer_ lin?” The prince said, annoyed.

“I think there’s a dead animal attached to you, especially under your armpits!” He said, making a surprised face.

“MERLIN!” The prince exclaimed and chased after his manservant, to hit him again.

 

* * *

 

 “So you have finally returned, Gaius.” Merlin said, eating what seemed to be his dinner. He offered some for his mentor. The old man took a seat at the table, glancing at the physician’s quarters in order to make sure that his ward hadn’t burnt the place while he was gone.

“I was urgently called in the morning, before you woke up. I went to a distant village where a plague seemed to be spread.” The old man retorted.

“Thank you, Merlin.” Gaius thanked as the young warlock passed him a bowl of the gruel he was eating.

“Merlin, I want you to tell, in fact, give me a full report about last night’s lessons with Morgana.” The physician said.

“Can it wait after supper?” His ward asked, trying to gain time to think about a story to tell to his mentor.

“Sure, it has been an eventful day, that can wait a little bit.”

The both of them ate in silence, while Merlin’s mind run wild, thinking about the possible lies he would tell and, hopefully, Gaius would believe in. During that time, the old man observed the visible distress in his ward’s features and he immediately knew that something was wrong.

“In our first lesson she tried to control her magic and that’s all. She didn’t do it, control, I mean.” Merlin said nervously.

“Humrum.” Gaius replied, raising his eyebrow and added: “Did she seemed suspicious about your identity, I mean, after you gave her the crystal?”

“What? Crystal? Suspicious? No, Gaius, not at all.” Merlin quickly dismissed his concerns.

“Meeerlin! I know you’re lying!” Gaius scolded him and proceeded: “Go ahead, tell me the truth.”

“But I told you the truth, I swear!”

“Merlin, I have to report to Uther about Morgana’s lessons and you have your destiny to look after! If you meddled Morgana with your destiny, by telling her the entire truth –” Merlin gasped in horror at how precisely right the old man was and what magic had he performed to be able to tell exactly what the young warlock had done “– you have to be sincere to me! I’ll have to think and talk to Morgana in order to maintain the same story when **the king** questions her too!”

“Fine, Gaius, I told her everything.”

“I should have known that you wouldn’t be able to keep your disguise.” Gaius sighed and covered his face with his hands.

“Hey, I can impersonate you perfectly, Gaius. Look!” Merlin said, raising a single eyebrow, much like Gaius did.

The old physician whacked his head, to which Merlin protested:

“Ouch, Gaius, why did you do that?”

“Because your impersonation is ridiculous!” He exclaimed and added: “And you couldn’t keep your secrets from Morgana!”

“But I thought you were fine with that! That you expected it from me!” Merlin said, touching his newly acquired bump.

“No, I had faith that you could keep one more secret, instead of risking everything!” Gaius scolded him.

“Wait a moment, Gaius. You were the one that said Morgana should learn how to control her magic and that I was the best suited to teach her! Why couldn’t she know the entire truth too? What’s so wrong or dangerous about her knowing if she is in the same position as I am?”

“Merlin, she’s the king’s ward! It’s obviously your situations aren’t the same! Your head would be chopped immediately if someone found out about your magic and would tell the king!”

“I know, but Morgana won’t tell a soul, she promised me!” He said, exalted.

“Merlin, I’m aware that you’re fond of her. I’ve known Morgana for her entire life and I can tell she has a good heart and wouldn’t willingly betray your secret. But you must also remember that she is impulsive! What if she decides to tell Arthur **before** he is ready? She can potentially ruin your destiny!”

“She won’t! And that can easily be solved, I can explain to her, I’m sure she’ll understand!” Merlin stood his ground in the argument.

“No, Merlin, **I’ll** explain to her, once I have spoken about what she should say to Uther when he questions her.” Gaius told him in a somber tone.

“Gaius, it wasn’t right to keep lying to her face! She already carries my child, why shouldn’t she also share the truth about her magic and my destiny?” The young man inquired.

“Is that what this is all about? Your feelings for her, Merlin?”

“No! It’s because it’s the right thing to do and I was raised by my mother to do what was right!”

“Without thinking of the consequences?” Gaius questioned him, raising his eyebrow.

“What can go wrong if they think that it’s you who is teaching her?” He said it tiredly.

“Many things, my boy. If someone were to enter her bedchambers while you were there, without your blood crystal on your neck, you’d suffer an horrible punishment. Think about this, Merlin, if I warn you, if I want you to keep secrets, it’s because I care about you.” Gaius reasoned with him.

“I know, Gaius. But I can still help Morgana and not being caught with her. I’ll use my magic to lock the door and stop sounds from coming out. I’ll even teach her how to do it too. I promise I’ll be cautious.” The young man pleaded.

“The same way you’re cautious about keeping your magic a secret?” Gaius inquired.

“Hey, I have been able to do it for a while now. Only you, Morgana and Kilgharrah know about it.” Merlin gave him a goofy grin.

“Let’s hope it remains like this for longer.” Was Gaius’s reply.


	11. Chapter 10

 

“So, what’s your conclusion, Gaius?” The king asked with a serious tone of voice.

“I’m afraid that an abortion is out of question, sire.” The old man answered.

“But you said that there was hope!” the king said exalted.

“Yes, I might have used that word when we first discovered her pregnancy. Nevertheless, the medical lore states that unborn children with magic protect themselves and their mother’s body in such a manner that is impossible to kill the child without causing the mother’s death too.” Gaius told him, raising his eyebrow.

“So, she’ll have to give birth to the bastard?” Uther inquired.

“I’m afraid it is so, sire.” The old man replied.

“Leave me alone, Gaius.” The king said, disheartened.

“As you command, my king.” The old man bowed and left the king’s study.

Uther awaited until the physician was no longer inside the room and angrily pushed whatever was on top of his desk to the ground, shattering many fragile objects and spilling ink on the ground and on papers.

The king wheezed in anger, lifting his both hands to his hair, grabbing the strands and helping himself getting balder.

“ **No, no, no, no! Damned fairy**!!!!” He yelled.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile Uther was losing more of his already scarce hair, Merlin was having a heartwarming, not in his opinion though, chat with the Great Dragon:

“She is dangerous, Merlin, you can’t trust her!” The overly grown lizard said.

“No, I know her, she has a good heart and she swore secrecy!” The young warlock answered.

The Dragon snorted, showing the boy a devilish toothy grin and said:

“Fate dictates that she’ll be your foe, young warlock. And I’m afraid that your hatchlings will cause her undoing.”

“No, that’s not true! I don’t believe in you!” Merlin protested.

“Heed my words, Merlin! Fate doesn’t change!” And Kilgharrah flew away, irritated with the young man for doubting him.

“Kilgharrah, wait! What do you mean by that?” In vain, the raven-haired boy called the dragon.

Merlin was confused and extremely upset with the dragon’s words. Morgana would never harm Arthur or Camelot, he knew it, deep inside his heart. Whatever had Kilgharrah meant he was wrong, that was what the young warlock chose to believe in.

So, the prince’s manservant left Camelot’s underground and got back to work, as he was summoned by the dragon at a completely unusual time, during the middle of the afternoon.

Surely, Arthur would complain and give him tons of chores to compensate his absence. The only thing that made that prospect less, well, annoying was that he’d teach Morgana how to control her magic in the evening.

Lately, the mere thought of her ladyship brought an indescribable happiness to him and he had to fight the urge to simply abandon whatever he was supposed to do and just find her to admire the lady. His adoration was so severe that he didn’t even need – not that he would ever be against it – to touch her, the mere sight of Morgana was enough to not only tranquilize him, it didn’t matter if the world was ending or Arthur was at his highest in the prat’s scale (which was somehow similar to the world’s end), but also to plaster an undying smile on his face to the rest of the day.

He didn’t know exactly when she began to mean so much to him, as he only was truly aware that he was in love with her yesterday. Well, certainly during the time they were forbidden to see – wait a minute, they are still prohibited to be at the same place at the same time – one another, he observed that some part of him would always expect to see her at a corner of the castle, or merely have a glimpse of her silhouette, as if he longed to find her, even though it wasn’t likely.

And there was more, the notion that she carried his child always made him feel proud of himself, as if that was the biggest achievement of his life so far – in a way it was –, but not exactly because they were ‘intimate’, more so because they had a deeper connection, as if all their similarities weren’t enough for him to feel attracted to her.

For Merlin, she was everything that he dreamed, maybe more, and having her attention – like she truly looking at him, a big-eared, clumsy, graceless country boy and wanting his company – was something he couldn’t imagine in his wildest fantasies. And yet, the way she had gazed at him, as if he was desirable (was that the correct word to describe her eyes when he was on top of her?), awakened a longing in him that he didn’t know he could feel.

Only when he tripped on a statue, on his way to Arthur’s chambers, Merlin was taken from his daydream about the beautiful Lady Morgana

 

* * *

“So, today we will finally begin our ‘herbalism’ lessons.” Merlin grinned at Morgana, already destituted of the blood crystal.

“Fine, as long as you stop using euphemisms to what we truly do here.” She giggled at him when she finished speaking.

“To do that, I’ll have to enchant your bedchambers.” He pointed out and then bowed to her and said: “With your permission, my lady.”

“Ok.” She chuckled at him and said: “You may perform your ‘herbalism’” She joined his make-believe game.

Merlin chanted a spell to avoid noise from coming out of the room, as well as magically locked her door. Those measures gave them more privacy, but also made the warlock’s heart beat faster due to his own awareness of their absolute seclusion from Uther and head chopper’s blocks.

Then, he noticed that she followed his every move while he was putting spells on, and he also perceived the look of admiration that her attractive face expressed when he performed magic. For him, knowing that someone admired him so openly was invigorating and certainly boosted his self-confidence. In short, Morgana was at the same time someone that inspired him and that presented him with esteem, something that he missed when he was talking to Arthur. Then he pointed at the chairs and they both took a seat and settled.

“Will you teach me how to do that?” She asked him with hopeful eyes.

“Yes, right after you have learned some control over your magic.” He replied.

“Humrum.” She answered and was thoughtful for a moment before she inquired:

“Will you also teach me how to speak in another person’s mind?” Her eyes glimmered while she talked about magic which only enhanced her beauty, something that he thought that was impossible, Morgana becoming even more stunning, nevertheless he was proved wrong.

“Yes, I will.” He paused briefly to gaze at her, before saying: “Which one do you want to learn at first?”

“Hum … I think the mental talking!” She said enthusiastically and he couldn’t help but smile at her reaction.

“Fine, close your eyes and try to concentrate.” He told her.

“I’m concentrating.” She said.

“Now imagine that there aren’t limits to your own mind, that you can reach and hear more than what your ears allow you to.” He explained and she nodded with her eyes closed, and he thought that she was beautiful while doing that, in truth while doing pretty much everything.

“Did you do that?” He asked.

“Sort of, I guess.” She told him.

“Ok, concentrate again and try to use your magic along with your mind to project something to me.” He said.

For a moment nothing happened and Morgana filled her cheeks with air. Merlin thought that she was adorable trying so hard to do it right at her first try.

“Expand your mind, focus on projecting your thought.” He instructed.

Suddenly, he heard a yell directly in his mind: “MEEEERRRLIN”

It was so strong that he fell off the chair and hit the ground with his bottom.

Morgana was startled with the noise and opened her eyes to find him splattered on the floor, massaging his sore buttocks.

“Merlin, are you ok?” She worriedly asked.

“I’m fine, nothing that I hadn’t experienced before being Arthur’s personal punching bag, ops, manservant.” He grinned at her.

She smiled and said, while grabbing his arm: “Here, let me help you.”

When she got near to him, Merlin’s heart increased its beating rate and he felt that gleeful warm sensation, the one that for made him believe that just by being near her everything was going to be fine.

If Morgana was being true to herself, she’d admit that she volunteered to help him partially because she was concerned about his wellbeing and part because she desired to feel again that inexplicable sensation that came upon her when she was near him: the one that warmed her heart, the one that she was getting addicted in, the feeling of belonging that awkwardly came from being close to Merlin.

Merlin glanced at her belly when she helped him stand and Morgana noticed it. Remembering that they haven’t exactly talked about the whole ‘we’re-having-a-baby-even-though-we-aren’t-even-courting’ situation, nor the implications for their lives, the young seer decided to ask:

“Do you want to touch it, Merlin?”

“What? Touch? Where?” He fumbled with his words.

“My belly. You were looking at my abdomen, I thought that you wanted to, you know.”

Merlin opened his mouth and made a silent ‘oh’, then he replied:

“Yes, I’d like, that’s if it’s ok to you.” He rapidly told her.

“Humrum, it’s fine.” She assured him.

Hesitantly, Merlin place his hand on top of her lower abdomen, looking absolutely unsure if he was doing the right thing and never taking his eyes off her belly.

 Morgana thought that he did so as if she would break at any moment or change her mind and accuse him of taking advantage of her. For those brief instants, Morgana wanted to caress his messy hair and tell him that it was fine, that she would never do that to him, that in fact she was utterly in love with him.

But instead of speaking her mind, she merely observed him until he reestablished eye contact and she glanced at his emotions, as he wasn’t hiding anything from her that night. She noticed that his face showed a mix of happiness, pride and also fear.

“It’s hard, your belly, I mean.” He finally spoke.

“Yes, harder than Arthur’s head.” She grinned wickedly at him while he laughed at her remark.

“I don’t think that’s possible, Morgana.” He chuckled.

“Maybe.” Was her reply.

His hand lingered on her abdomen and he said:

“Gaius said that we can only feel the baby when it has more than five months.”

“This one has already shown that he or she is pretty active.” She stated.

“I know, Gaius told me everything.” He retorted.

“Even that the king said he’ll adopt our child?”

Merlin’s heart skipped a beat when she said ‘our’ and he smiled radiantly at her. Obviously, Morgana wasn’t unaffected and mirrored his smile while he spoke:

“Yes, I know that. But I guess that there’s nothing I can do about it. Don’t get me wrong, I would do anything to do the right thing, I mean marry you, that’s if you’d accept me, of course, but my life isn’t only my own –” She interrupted him by sealing their lips together, throwing away her restrains and rational reasons not to do that, which probably would risk his life even more that it already was endangered (if that was even possible).

After the initial shock, he kissed her back and the two of them got tangled in each other’s arms, experiencing an inebriating sensation of love, warmth and acceptance. It was indeed weird, a simple act that many times was void of meaning, for them was an entire promise of love and a deeper connection. It felt so right and their lips moved slowly, they enjoyed every movement that the other made, every caress and tender touch that the other provided, it was as if the both of them melted in the other’s touch.

When the kiss ended, Merlin and Morgana slowly parted themselves, but kept holding their arms.

“I love you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’ll be writing my dissertation for my post-graduation, so I’ll take a long while to update this story and the other.


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin, it belongs to BBC.
> 
> This chapter isn’t exactly funny, but there’s romance a little joke somewhere and Uther X Morgana drama.

 

 

“I love you” Merlin said, still lightheaded from the kiss and with his eyes closed. Only when the words left his mouth, he opened his eyes and was graced with the sight of a giggling Morgana. He smiled at her and she gently gave him a peck and said:

“Really? I love you too!” She smiled at him and his face was plastered with a silly grin that he wasn’t able to undo, because that was the effect she had upon him, she’d make him so happy that he’d smile for hours and his cheeks would hurt from all the times he laughed or grinned at her presence. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one with that reaction, as he noticed that her expression matched his, so for a while they just laughed while still holding on the other’s arms.

“I must be dreaming, this is too good to be real” Merlin was the first to speak, breaking their trance. She kissed him passionately and fully embraced his torso. He was taken by surprise by her action and, for a moment, didn’t respond to her advances, but soon enough he kissed her back and placed his arms at her waist.

Then, she slowed down the kiss, using her hand to caress his face. He hummed, enjoying every touch, her smell, the sensation of her mouth upon his and the movements she made with her tongue (it was so good that it was as if no other thing existed in the entire world but the two of them, it was making him lazy in her arms and at the same time brought a heat both to his chest and his nether regions). Basically, he was drowning in her and he’d give an arm for that moment to last an eternity.

When she slight moved her head away from his, parting their lips, yet still keeping her proximity, touching their foreheads and with their breath mingling before them, she spoke:

“Did this feel like a dream?” She inquired, searching his eyes.

“Completely.” He said softly and added: “It was surreal and I’m afraid that I’m addicted to the sensation.” He wickedly grinned at her.

“What a coincidence.” She replied, chuckling, and elaborated more: “That’s exactly how I felt too.”

“Then” He rested both his hands on her face as he spoke: “Shall we indulge ourselves in this dream?”

“As you desire, my love.” She let her hand slide to his chest and used her other hand to grab his hair and to decrease the distance that kept their mouths apart, smiling when their lips joined.

At the beginning, the kiss was gentle with Morgana taking her time to explore every corner of his mouth. He matched her motions and she purred into his lips. At that moment, he felt that he was precious to her as every caress that she gave him was filled with care and tenderness. Then, her touches grew more desperate and he felt her hunger for him, he couldn’t help but want her in the same intensity, so his hands began to explore her upper body – with the exception of her bosom –, and both of them did their best to diminish every inch of the offensive distance between their bodies. Even though it was a chilly night, they felt as if their bodies was on fire due to their proximity.

Merlin was sure that by now she was completely aware of the bulge in his pants pressing against her, but he was too lost in the inebriating sensation of her kiss to be ashamed.

When they finally parted their lips in need for air, resting their foreheads, he glanced at her eyes at saw that they were darker than usual, yet he couldn’t point out why.

“Merlin” She said with a sultry voice that send a jolt directly to his manhood.

He noticed that if they kept their activities, he’d end up dishonoring her once more, only this time he’d remember, so he reluctantly disentangled himself from her. She whined, but that didn’t stop him.

“I …” He stammered with his words, turning to face the wall instead of her and continued: “We … it’s too soon to …” He lost his speech, unable to convene in words what he wanted to say.

“What are you saying, Merlin? That we should go any further?” She completed the phrase for him.

“Yes, exactly that!” He exclaimed.

“You are aware that we have already done it, aren’t you?” She inquired, taking his hand and placing it atop her belly and then she said:

“Here is the proof.”

“I … it’s not like I don’t know that.” He retorted and added: “It’s just … I don’t want to rush things … I mean … I want to do this correctly, knowing you better and courting you first.” He said the last sentence locking his eyes on hers, and Morgana couldn’t help it but think that he was adorable.

“You’re such a gentleman, Merlin.” She told him and caressed his cheeks.

“Do you agree?” Being hopeful, he asked her.

“I think that the order is already messed up –” He pouted and she smiled, thinking he was lovely when pouting, then she continued speaking: “but I’ll respect your wishes.” She gave him a soft peck on the lips and he grinned in a goofy way.

He attempted to return the favor, but he closed his eyes too soon and ended up kissing her nose instead.

He found it strange that her mouth had gotten so smaller in that short amount of time, until a chuckling Morgana said:

“Merlin, that’s my nose.”

“Oh, yeah, right, I knew that.” He fumbled with his words.

“Humrum.” She replied, grabbed his neck and joined their lips together, still smiling.

Maybe he’d have to learn where her body parts where, so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself. Yet, she wasn’t complaining, nor treating him like an idiot for that silly mistake, so he ended up forgetting he was supposed to do something else and just enjoyed her embrace.

  

* * *

 

 

 

 “I’m here for your report, Morgana.” Uther told her after he stopped near her bed, where his daughter was still laying, as he had waken her up when he spoke with her.

She settled her back against the headboard, yawning and said:

“Isn’t it too soon for that? Not even Gwen arrived yet.” She drowsily replied.

“That’s exactly why I’m here now. Your lessons are a secret, Morgana, the less people now about them, the better.”

“The lessons aren’t exactly a secret, only the subject studied is.” She pointed out.

“Don’t try to change the subject, just give me your report.” He said in a commanding tone of voice.

“Fine, Gaius came here for the second night and talked to me about the theory of control over innate powers. In short, as long as I have a good concentration and keep my emotions checked and peaceful, I’m able to at least avoid unwanted uses of power.”

“You mean sorcery.” The king corrected her.

“Whatever you may call it.” She said it with a challenging tone and Uther protested:

“Watch your tone, Morgana.” He warned her and continued speaking: “Only because I allow you to control your curse it doesn’t mean that sorcery is less outlawed here in Camelot.”

“Yet here we are, having a nice chat about my progress in magical studies.” She said sarcastically.

“Morgana!” The king was clearly exalted when he warned his daughter.

“I’m not someone else because I have magic! I’m still the same, I’m not evil or corrupted by it, Uther. You’re wrong in your prejudice against it, my lord!” She exclaimed.

“You haven’t changed because it isn’t yours! It’s part of the curse! And I won’t let magic corrupt you, that’s why I’ll accompany your progress, to save you from yourself, Morgana.” Uther replied, frowning.

“And what if it isn’t something that can be cured? What if I keep having magic for the rest of my life, as part of who I am?” She questioned him, and her sane part, that was finally awaking (Morgana always took a while to be fully awake and not say the first thing that came in her mind during the mornings, the difference was that generally it was Gwen the one that heard he unfiltered words) realized that she had practically begged for the king to condemn her to death by the pyre, as it was the most popular sentence for witches.

Uther was shocked with her question; nevertheless, he answered her with a stern voice:

“That won’t happen, Morgana, because I’ll find a cure, even if I have to search for it in the world’s end!” He exclaimed.

“But –” She tried to retort, but was interrupted by him.

“If that doesn’t happen, I know I can trust you to do the right thing, that is abstaining yourself from delving in that disgusting activity, much like Gaius.” The king stated, seriously.

“I …” She said hesitantly, finding her courage before saying: “I don’t that magic is disgusting, nor it is evil. It just is, it depends on its user to either be good or bad.”

“Morgana! What you’re saying is treason!” He was visibly enraged with her remark, he was flaring his nostrils when he spoke. “And for that, you’ll remain in your chambers for an entire week! And without your lessons!”    

“My king that’s completely unfair!” She protested.

“If you weren’t in your condition you’d be restrained by now, learning to respect and obey me in a damp cell!” He snorted at her.

“Respect and obedience isn’t something you gain by force, you must earn it! And the more you behave like that the less you prove yourself worth of it!” She snapped.

“Quiet, child! You know nothing of the world! All I do is to protect you from its dangers, even if I have to protect you from your own thoughts!” He roared at her.

“No, you don’t want to protect me, you just want to turn me into a copy of you, but I’ll never become like you!” She countered.

“Quiet or I won’t allow your maid to attend you! I’ll assign another servant and dismiss her!” He threatened.

“You’re a despicable man!” She exclaimed.

“I’m your king, watch your tongue or your maid will suffer the consequences.” He said with clenched teeth.

Morgana was huffing with anger when she answered: “Yes, my lord.”

“You’ll remain in your chambers until you don’t have more of those foolish thoughts, are we clear?”

“Yes, my lord.” She replied, clearly restraining herself not to scream at him and worsen the situation.

“Good.” That was all the king said when he left her bedchambers.

 

* * *

 

After that one week, there was the unicorn incident. Morgana had been irritated the entire week, as she couldn’t see Merlin during that time. Arthur had been even more of a prat, making fun of everything his manservant did, saying that without Morgana he had more budding time with the warlock.

When the water and food curse fell upon Camelot, Merlin was really concerned about his love, as it wasn’t good for a pregnant woman to be deprived of the proper nourishment, except that no one actually had any food with them.

So, when Gwen and Morgana were distributing bread for the famished villagers, Merlin asked Guinevere to keep some food for the lady, to what Gwen replied that the king had already made sure that her ladyship didn’t skip any meal.

Later on, when he was giving her lessons about magic again, Merlin asked Morgana about it and she said that Uther truly didn’t let her feel hunger. She even told him that the king probably gave her his own food, as his stomach grumbled when he placed the last plate on her table.


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to BBC

“Treason!?” Morgana exclaimed.

“Yes, Morgana, treason. The blacksmith was consorting with a known enemy.” Uther calmly answered, as if speaking with a fidgety child.

“Enemy? What enemy?” The seer asked.

“Tauren. The leader of a band of renegade sorcerers sworn to bring down the King.” This time Arthur answered.

“And where is this Tauren now?” She inquired.

“He escaped.” Arthur replied.

“Well, then how can you be sure?”

“Because Arthur saw him with his own eyes.” The king retorted.

“Well, even if the man is who you say he is, you can't sentence Tom to death for just being seen with him!” She argued.

“We have reasons to believe he was forging weapons for Tauren.” Uther explained.

“Rubbish! He would never do such a thing.” Morgana countered.

“Every man has a price.” The king coldly stated while Arthur slid the lump of gold across the table.

“Found this on the blacksmith.” The young prince said.

“So he was paid! He's a blacksmith. He could've been paid for shoeing Tauren's horse!” Morgana tried to reason.

“In gold?” Uther countered, dismissing her argument.

“This is madness! You condemn a man with no proof! Did Tom even know that Tauren was a sorcerer?” She questioned, trying to convince Uther to release her father’s friend.

“Tauren is a known enemy. There are wanted posters all around Camelot. No one can plead innocence based on not knowing his features!” The king answered with a menacing growl.

“Father, the blacksmith committed a crime, but we don't know for certain he meant treason.” Arthur pointed out.

“No. You're right. Nothing's certain. Save one thing: the law stands or this kingdom falls.” Uther said.

“But the law must give him a fair trial!” Morgana exclaimed.

“He'll get a fair trial, and he'll be found guilty, 'cause that's what he is.” The king stated, stoically.

“This is outrageous!” Morgana bawled and continued: “I’m sure that Tom wouldn’t willingly commit treason or any other crime! He’s innocent and if you execute him, I’ll never forgive you, never!”

And then she stormed out of the room, leaving Arthur and Uther alone.

 

* * *

 

When she reached her chambers, Morgana tried to contact Merlin through mind projection:

“ _Merlin, are you still awakened?_ ”

“ _Morgana? Yes, I am._ ”

“ _Gwen’s father, Tom, was arrested. Uther won’t give him a fair trial, I need your help to plan his escape._ ” She told him, sounding anxious in his mind.

“ _Slow down, Morgana. Helping his escape will only prove that he’s guilty. Why was he arrested in the first place_?” The young warlock inquired.

“ _Because he was caught receiving gold from a known sorcerer, Tauren, and Uther thinks that he was making weapons for him._ ” She replied, still edgy.

“ _I never heard of him, this Tauren_.” Merlin said.

“ _Neither have I, Merlin._ _But Uther says there are wanted posters with his face._ ” She answered.

 “ _There must be another way. We have to produce proofs that Tom isn’t guilty_ ” He pointed out.

“ _Perhaps … the posters! I’m sure that one can’t recognize any of the criminals due to the awful drawings our guardsmen do!_ _Merlin, you’re a genius! I love you and I want to kiss you now, badly!_ ” She told him in his mind, excitedly.

“ _Hey, I didn’t do anything, not that I’ll complain if you kiss me._ ” He grinned while projecting the words.

“ _Tomorrow night, I’ll kiss you so much that you’ll be unable to think straight!_ ” She said, happily.

“ _I’ll wait anxiously, love. You should rest now, have sweet dreams, Morgana._ ” He replied.

“ _Good night, Merlin. Sleep well._ ” She answered back.

 

“All of them deserve a fair trial!” Morgana was baffled, Uther had condemned everyone that had any sort of contact with Tauren. She stood by the king’s side in the courtyard.

“They were convicted of treason, by consorting with a known sorcerer. The punishment is death.” Uther stated.

“That’s hilarious. You too consort with a sorceress and yet the law doesn’t apply to you.” She snorted.

“Morgana, watch your tongue!” He growled.

“What? I’m only speaking the truth!” She rebelled.

“Do not test my patience, Morgana.” He said in an intimidating tone.

She lowered her head, measuring her words, fully aware that what she said next could be the difference between life and death for those men and for Tom, also.

When she rose her head to stablish eye contact with the king, she calmly said:

“At least give them a chance to have a defender. The law can’t be applied blindly. You have sworn to be a just king.” She pleaded.

He grabbed her wrist and said:

“If I do this, you must promise me that you won’t mention the forbidden subject in public ever again. Are we understood?”

“Yes, my lord.” She complied.

“Good.” Uther released his daughter, pausing briefly before saying: “Do present their defenses or a defender.”

Morgana left the king’s side and went in the direction of the guards that secured the prisoners.

The ward took out a piece of paper and presented it to the guards, asking them if they recognized who the drawing depicted. Most of them nodded negatively. Then, she proceeded, inquiring the prisoners and she received the same answer. Folding the lower part of the paper, she showed it to Uther, asking if he could identify who was the criminal in that poster. He also answered that he couldn’t.

In reality, the drawing had bland features, presenting a man – only identified as such by the beard (black dots made with coat that could also represent freckles, excess of acne, scars, well, pretty much anything) – with green eyes (also two green badly done dots, almost turning into a line at the end) and dark hair.     

So, she spoke loudly enough for the king and the people gathered to hear:

“People of Camelot, my King.” She curtsied for him and kept speaking: “These men are accused of having consorted with a sorcerer, a crime punished by death.” She made a dramatic pause, making sure that everyone was paying attention.

“The sorcerer in question is Tauren, leader of a group that openly opposes the King.” She paused again, briefly and proceeded:

“And his features are shown in this poster here, so that everyone in the kingdom can recognize him as a known enemy of Camelot.”

“Yet, not even Camelot’s guards, nor the defendants, were able to identify this picture as faithfully portraying the criminal’s face.”

“My King, when I showed you the poster, not even you distinguished who was depicted here.” She stated.

“Therefore, condemning those men for consorting with a known sorcerer, when his face wasn’t truly acknowledge by Camelot’s citizens, goes against everything this kingdom stands for. They weren’t aware that they have sheltered a criminal, thus cannot be found guilty of a crime that lacks its main element to be configured.” She claimed.

“So, in front of the absolute impossibility of recognizing any men’s face from this drawing, I plea that you absolve them from the accusations, granting their freedom.” She finished and spun to look at Uther’s face, turning her back to the mass of people.

The crowd was silent, awaiting their king’s decision. What the king’s ward had said made sense and they knew that they could be in the place of the accused men if they had the misfortune of finding this Tauren man, a name that lately haunted the conversations in Camelot.

“Pledging ignorance won’t –” Uther began to say, but was stopped when he noticed the golden hue on Morgana’s eyes and the sound of a standard-bearer trembling.

 _Damn it!_ He cursed inwardly. It was happening again, her wild magic, no, **curse** , was reacting again and right in front of Camelot’s subjects! He hated to back down on his beliefs, but if he didn’t her uncontrollable magic would be public known and he’d be forced to take more drastic measures.

He mentally kicked himself for interrupting her lessons for a week, after the unicorn incident, and then another week after she stubbornly kept repeating that magic wasn’t a choice, but a fate’s decision.

In short, during the last month his daughter had

So, being irritated that he had to give in, at least in this matter, he continuing speaking:

“ – always be a reasonable excuse for absolving those accused of consorting with sorcerers. Although, in this case, I admit that the wanted poster didn’t depicted his features accurately, thus inducing Camelot’s citizens in error.” He stated, pausing briefly before adding:

“And as I am a just king, this time the prisoners shall only be flogged for hosting a sorcerer, so that their crime doesn’t go unpunished and you’re all remembered that sorcery isn’t tolerated in this kingdom!” He glanced at Morgana again, noticing that her eyes had flashed gold but that quickly disappeared, maybe the lessons where finally paying off and she was controlling her **curse**.

 

* * *

 

           

“Gaius, how is he?” Gwen inquired the physician, concerned about her father’s wellbeing.

“He will be fine, Gwen. He needs to rest. He supported grave injuries when he was whipped, but he’ll live.” The man answered.

Morgana hugged her friend and the young maid openly cried on her shoulders. Tom was alive, but he had suffered the same treatment as the other prisoners, after he was questioned about Tauren’s intentions. Her father’s innocence was proved afterwards, though he was badly beaten up.

The only thing left to do was to wait for his recovery there, at their small house in the lower town.

Guinevere was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to assist him as much as he needed because she had her job to attend. She clung to her friend’s dress as if she was clinging to her own life and Morgana tried to soothe her stroking her hair and telling that everything was going to be alright, that she could take the time off it would take Tom to recover, that they’d be safe from the king’s wrath and that they wouldn’t go unassisted.

Merlin was waiting outside the house, still aware of the king’s prohibition. He too wanted to comfort his friend and tell her that they would protect her and her father, but he knew he couldn’t promise that. Damn it, he couldn’t even be sure if he would be safe from harm in case the king had the smallest suspicion that he had magic or was seeing and teaching Morgana during the nights or worse, that he had audacity of having a love affair with the king’s ward.

Yep, he knew he was a walking corpse, just waiting to be caught and have his head detached from his body, though he couldn’t help himself. It felt so right to be by Morgana’s side, to love her, to dream along about a better future, one in which they could be free and unafraid to just be themselves.

After having examine Tom, as the man winced in pain, Gaius left the house, meeting Merlin in the entrance. The old man told him:

“I think you should spend the night here, for Tom and Gwen’s sake. Wait for my signal there in that old barn. Once Morgana has left, I’ll tell you.”

“Okay, Gaius.” And Merlin went to the old building. Not much later, he sensed someone speaking in his mind:

“ _Merlin._ ” He could easily recognize Morgana’s voice and so he replied:

“ _Morgana._ ”

“ _When I was looking for Gwen this morning, I found a strange stone in Tom’s workplace_.” She told him.

“ _Hmm. Tell me more about it, as I won’t see you tonight._ ” He replied.

“ _It has an oval shape, the stone is orange and is embedded in a claw._ ” She said.

“ _You should show it to Gaius, I’m sure he’ll know what it is._ ” Merlin told her.

“ _Fine. Will he replace you tonight in the lessons?_ ” She inquired.

“ _Yes, he will. I guess that it’ll take longer for me to kiss you again._ ” He sighed, mentally too.

“ _I’ll hardly survive until then_.”  She joked and continued projecting her thoughts: “ _Watch over Gwen and Tom tonight, okay?_ ”

“ _I will._ ” He replied.

After that, Morgana returned to the palace and Gaius did the same after calling for Merlin. The young warlock improvised a bed with Gwen’s help.

 

* * *

 

 

When the evening came, Merlin heard a noise, similar to someone jumping through the window.

He immediately stood up, feeling sore from his sleeping arrangements, and quietly approached the source of the noise.

It was a man, dressed in dark garments, that had broken into Tom and Gwen’s house and was, at that moment, taking the dust off him.

Merlin watched him, hiding behind a wall in order to use his magic if needed.

The man got near Tom’s bed and shook the blacksmith shoulder, gaining a wince as a reply.

“Tom!” The man whispered.

The blacksmith woke up and turned his head to him, saying loudly:

“Tauren!”

The sorcerer covered the blacksmith’s mouth with his hand, shushing him. Whispering again, he said:

“Do not shout. If you awaken your daughter and she screams for help, I’ll kill you both!” He threatened.

Tom nodded and the magic user continued:

“I want the stone back! You have until the sunset of tomorrow to give it to me or else I’ll kill your daughter in front of you! Meet me at the darkling woods when the sun gets down!”

Merlin knew he had to do something. That man was threatening his friend and her father, so he used his magic to knock him out.

When the sorcerer fell, he did so with a loud thud that woke up Gwen. Tom looked utterly surprised with the turn of events while his daughter asked what was happening.

Merlin got out of his hiding place and went to check the Tauren’s vital signs.

The sorcerer was alive, although he was unconscious.

“What happened?” Gwen asked and Tom said: “I don’t know, one moment he was talking to me and in the other he was hitting the ground and the crates!”

“He must have slipped.” Merlin replied, nonchalantly.

“But how? He was firm in his stance, he didn’t even took a step, he just fell!” Tom exclaimed.

“Well, slipping. It happens when you least expect.” The warlock tried to convince them. Noticing that it wasn’t working he decided to change the subject:

“Let’s call the guards, we have a dangerous sorcerer here!”

Getting out of their reverie, Gwen and Tom agreed and the young woman left the house to do that while Merlin waited with her father.


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin. It belongs to BBC.
> 
> Please, if you like it, leave a comment, : )
> 
> Warning: Mergana smut.

 

Tauren was executed in the following morning. Morgana and Merlin came to a conclusion that even though the man’s cause was just, threating their friend proved that he was wrong regarding to the means he used to achieve his ends, so both of them did nothing to save the sorcerer.

About the stone of magi, as later they found out searching in one of Gaius’ books, they decided it was for the best to keep it in Camelot’s vaults, so it wouldn’t be used against the kingdom. They made it suddenly appear in there, even though they were tempted to put it along the other evidences Arthur had found in Tom’s house, just to watch him getting suspicious and unable to explain how that magic artifact had appeared there seemly out of nowhere (probably to say something like ‘it’s magic’ and see a bewildered prince trying to understand the whole situation).  

Even though it happened only once, Morgana’s small victory in convincing Uther not to execute the townsfolk and Tom made them think that the king wasn’t completely unreasonable, they just had to find the right approach to change his decisions (maybe next time they would succeed in not having anyone flogged in the process).

And so one month passed, between magic lessons, secretive kisses in Morgana’s chambers during their lessons, more of Arthur’s pratness, Gwen’s smiles, Uther ramblings and Morgana’s belly was finally showing a small bulge, as it has been three months since the night they were enchanted.

The use of the blood crystal became a natural thing for Morgana, almost like having to brush her hair every morning, the only time she didn’t use it was when she was getting ready for bed, during her magic lessons (seeing Merlin’s face of complete adoration when looking at her and the small changes that she was going through was one of the best parts of her day) and when she had just awakened.

Also, she didn’t use it when Gaius would examine her and when Uther would ask for her reports on her lessons. To the rest of the world, the Lady Morgana was the same, a beautiful lady of the court that seemed to have everything that a woman could possible wish for (if one doesn’t consider a woman could define her own fate), a goddess-like beauty, a wealthy and powerful guardian and the prospect of being able to have many suitors lined for her hand in marriage.

Nonetheless, for Morgana only one man has ever incited a desire to spend the rest of her life with and that man attends for the name of Merlin, and sometimes Emrys if you are a Druid, which makes everyone else pale in comparison, though she was sure that Uther wouldn’t marry her off to a random noble during her pregnancy.

At that exact moment, Merlin and Morgana were attending another magic lesson, that surely had already stopped being about magic and had changed the subject to kiss practicing.

Merlin had Morgana under him as both of them were on top of her bed. He was supporting his weight on his elbows to not crush her, which decreased his hands’ mobility, leaving him as a defenseless prey to her advances while their lips met and their tongues fought for dominance in a breathtaking kiss. His lower body rested between her legs, which he was thinking that wasn’t one of his brightest ideas as she was lifting her hips to meet his for a while now.

Her hands roamed around his upper body, then she lowered one hand and squeezed his buttock and pulled his hips to meet hers, at the same time that she tried to lift his shirt and gain access to his bare skin.

They both moaned, inebriated by the sensation of their closeness and skillful tongues.

A little out of breath due to her passionate kiss and her later move, Merlin distanced their heads, trying to slow thing down, and said:

“Morgana, we have to stop this. It isn’t right, we are unwed.” He said between gasps.

She kissed his jawline and he groaned, he knew she what she was doing, she wanted to distract him and have her ways. It has been like this for the last five days, when she had become bolder, disregarding their initial agreement.

“We are having a baby, Merlin. We love each other, we desire each other, I can feel it not only by how you kiss me, but also due to something that has been poking me for a while.” She lightly bit his earlobe, making him shiver and then gazed at his eyes while giving him a wicked all-knowing smile.

He grunted, she was right and was very persuasive, yet he couldn’t take advantage of her. That was how his mother had raised him, to be a man that didn’t put his own desires before his love’s wellbeing and honor. So, he ended up saying:

“Morgana, you know that going that far isn’t right.” He touched their foreheads together, hoping that the sweetness of the act would be enough to clear both of their lust-filled minds.

She placed her both hands on his cheeks, bringing his face closer and gave him a tender and slow kiss, taking her time to savor his luscious lips, and then tentatively pressing the tip of her tongue against his closed mouth, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. He gave in and she used her tongue to gently search for his own.

Merlin melted in her ministrations, even though she was only kissing him and caressing his face. Those moments, when she touched him like this always made him feel special, no matter how tender she was, his heart always beat like crazy and by their closeness he could feel her own rapid heartbeats, in tandem with his own.

Then, she broke their lips apart and finally spoke, making eye contact: 

“I love you, Merlin, more than I could ever imagine it was possible. The only thing that isn’t right is for us not to be joined together, body and soul. The words of a random priest can’t form such connection, nor undo it. Either we are married or not, I won’t stop feeling like this, as if my own soul claims to be near you.” She touched their foreheads, closing her eyes and he did the same, until she caught his attention again when she said:

“And that’s why I don’t think we should wait any longer.”

 _Damn her and her timing!_ Merlin cursed inwardly. He wanted to be with her, to know everything there was to know about her, in fact he needed to, yet, there was a voice in the back of his mind saying that it was wrong, so he said:

“Morgana … no, we can’t.” He closed his eyes, fearing that his resolve would be shaken if he looked at her emerald eyes directly.

“Merlin.” She kissed his chin and continued speaking: “You know that the main reason people marry before doing this is to give legitimacy to their offspring, preventing an unplanned pregnancy.”

She kissed his lips, nibbling at his bottom lip and ended it quickly. He groaned and opened his eyes, about to protest for the lack of further contact, which made her grin at his reaction and say: “As I’m already pregnant, there isn’t anything actually stopping us from doing what we want.” She kissed him again, this time wildly, gripping his hair with her right hand and his buttock with her other, pressing their hips together.

They both moaned and instinctively he jerked his hips forward and she gasped, still maintaining their mouths connected. Suddenly, he broke the kiss, saying:

“Wait, wait.” She pouted when he spoke that and he smiled in a goofy way, adding:

“We need to take our clothes off.” The two chuckled, and she grabbed the hem of his shirt, while he used his knees to support his weight, ending up sitting. After mere seconds, his torso was naked and he was now helping her with her nightgown (as she had acquainted the habit of only using that clothing for their lessons, claiming that she would go strictly to bed afterwards and had already dismissed Gwen before he came to her chambers, in order to not cause suspicions, though he had a hunch that she also did that as an excuse to use a see-through garment when around him).

He hurriedly lifted her skirts, then the entire gown, revealing her pale skin and her nakedness. He took a moment to appreciate the view and she let him, attentively watching his expression and delighting herself on the effect she obviously had upon him.

Morgana, that was also seated on the mattress by then, touched his exposed chest and his scarce hair in that region. The mirrored her actions, touching her breasts, meanwhile he joined their lips together in a passionate kiss.

They both gasped and moaned, She straddled his lap, not touching him directly where she needed him the most because his breeches were still there.

Clouded in their lust, Merlin and Morgana clumsily worked in undoing his laces and pulling the offensive piece of clothing off and their sat in front of each other.

She rested her right hand on his hardness, dabbing the length of his member and Merlin hissed, holding himself not to push her down and ravish her senseless.

He tentatively touched her inner tights, going up and reaching her sex. She purred at the contact, moving her hips so that he could have a better access.

Merlin hesitantly traced the contours of her sensitive place, feeling the wetness that already pooled up there and she moaned.

He keep his ministration, using his tact to discover every crook of her, while she kissed, nibbled, marked his neck and stroked his length. They both gasped, moaned and grunted due to the pleasure they were causing in one another.

Then, Merlin used his other hand to fondle her breast and Morgana moaned louder, sounding pleased with his initiative. He wanted to kiss her entire body, venerate her entirely, but at her soft touches on him, and her skillful mouth ravishing his neck, he was discomposed, having trouble to form a reasonable thought.

He tentatively inserted a finger in her folds and she claimed his mouth in a desperate and hot kiss that left him dizzy for a moment. After that, he gazed into her eyes and murmured a soft ‘I love you’, kissing her gently and then moving his mouth downwards to her neck.

He licked her tiny mole there (something he wanted to do since he had first noticed its presence in her flawless skin), softly nibbled and kissed her neck, later placing his lips at the crook of her neck and sucking lightly, not to leave a mark.

At the same time, her left hand caressed his back, making him shiver when her fingertip touched the line of his column, going upwards until her hand reached his hair and she gripped it for support while he gave attention to her neck, her bosom and her core.

She made him look at her, kissed his mouth once again and they both giggled while looking at one another, then moaned more.

They kept exploring each other’s body, imprinting their reactions, sensations, sounds, the sense of bliss and satisfaction in their memories, allowing their shared lust and passion to take care of the moment, and nothing else mattered but them there, living their love, getting inebriate on the feeling of loving and being loved.

He quickened the motions he was doing with his fingers, hearing her response in high-pitched sounds. She retaliated, enveloping his shaft entirely on her hand, going up and down, faster, and he grunted, sensing he wouldn’t last long if she kept doing that.

Merlin didn’t want it to end before he was inside of her, so he began to think about things that would be a danger to his arouse, like Gaius raising his eyebrow or his mentor being naked, or Uther rambling and yelling ‘sorcery’, or Arthur making Merlin clean his toes (seriously, the prince needed to learn how to groom his own feet).

When she finally whispered in his ear that she wanted him inside of her, the young warlock almost ended up spilling his seed on her hand (which he didn’t with a little help of his magic).

Then she straddled his lap again, using his shoulders for support, positioning his hardness at her entrance and she descended her hips, gasping at the intrusion, using her fingertips to apply pressure against his skin, while he groaned and held her buttocks. They both gaped when he was fully sheathed, closing their eyes and stopping for a moment to relish the sensation. He touched their foreheads again, running a hand up, feeling the softness of her back until he rested it at her face.

They opened their eyes at the same time, grinning at one another and they kissed again, still smiling, and Morgana used her hands to roam his back and pull them closer, needing to feel each inch of him against her.

While kissing, they tentatively moved their hips, gasping and moaning at the pleasure that such action provided.

At first slowly, discovering her limits and where they felt better, then speeding up, changing angles to hit a good spot that made her moan even more, Merlin was absorbed in their love-making, eager to pleasure her and feel pleasure too (which was already happening, in fact he had to constantly hold his climax with his magic due to the overwhelming sensations).

They moved in tandem, kissing, finding out what pleased them, coursing their hands through the other, exploring their pleasure together. It was sweet and hot at the same time, well, it was an addictive feeling, the heat of their bodies melting together, the warm sensation on their chest, everything made them want that those moments could last forever, that they could only be Merlin and Morgana, disregarding their social positions, status and fates.

Only two people in love strengthening their bond by giving in to their irresistible desires. They could sense their magic entangling, calling for each other, fusing together in an alluring dance.

Merlin mouthed one of her nipples and Morgana moaned harder, fastening the rhythm in which see moved her hips, making his momentarily release her to gasp. Shortly, he returned to his previous actions, gripping her arse for better support.

They were close. Morgana was moving frantically and Merlin was doing his best not to finish before her, so when she moaned his name in an extreme high pitch tone while sticking her nails in his skin, arching her back and tossing her head, exposing her pale neck, her inner walls clenching around his length. He wasted no time and also reached his climax, holding her even closer while sucking her breast and muttering a grunt.

Shortly after, he searched for her lips, sealing them together in a passionate kiss meanwhile his member pulsated inside of her, still releasing his seeds in her womb.

Then the kiss got slower and they hummed into one another mouths, caressing every part of the other that they could reach.

He moved them down, to lay on her bed, and he unsheathed his shaft, earning a few gasps and whines from Morgana. He nestled his face on the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her sweat and she caressed his lower back and his nape, reaching his scalp later.

Then he rolled to her left side, taking a while to contemplate her disheveled form after their lovemaking. Her eyes shone with mischievous and she grinned, she sealed their lips in another breathtaking kiss, using her hands to grope him everywhere. He ended up holding her wrists to stop her, saying that they should rest a little bit.

He laid on his back and she placed her head on his chest, lightly touching the contours of his nipple, his outer tight, and he chuckled, satisfied.

They spent some time like that, getting drowsy, until she shook him, saying:

“Merlin, you have to go. Gaius wouldn’t spend the night here.”

Still sleepy, Merlin nodded grabbing his clothes and putting them on. He was about to leave her chambers when she remembered him of the blood crystal. He took it from her nightstand and got out of the room.

When he was going to the physician’s quarters, the guards kept giving him a disbelieving look, but he was too tired to think about that, still inebriated by the previous events.

 

* * *

 

 In the following morning, Gwen was helping Morgana with the fastening of the lady’s dress. When she finished it, the maid took the necklace her mistress was using daily and gave her.

Morgana placed the object around her neck and Gwen helped buttoning it.

Then, her maid gasped in horror, saying:

“Gaius!”

Morgana looked at her, puzzled by her words and she elaborated:

“You’re Gaius!”


	15. Chapter 14

“You’re Gaius!”

_Oh, no!_ Morgana thought. Not only they had switched crystals, Gwen had caught her red-handed.

A pregnant pause passed while a mental battle took place in Morgana’s mind. If she was an obedient ward, she’d have to lie to Gwen about everything – her magic, Merlin, the blood crystal – and that could keep her friend safe, though she felt bad doing that, Guinevere was her best friend and she had never given Morgana any reason to distrust her. Though if Uther found out that Gwen knew about the lady’s magic, well, things would end up pretty badly. Another thing that unsettled the young seer was the possibility that Gwen could be disgusted with who she and Merlin was. The pale woman shook her head (still with Gaius’ features) and suddenly remembered that she was still using the blood crystal, she took it off, resting the gem on top of her nightstand.

Morgana licked her lips and took a deep breath. As long as Uther didn’t know, Gwen would be safe. So, she would take that leap of faith, she would tell her friend the whole truth (even parts that weren’t her secret to tell), because that was the right thing to do.

“Gwen, please, seat down.” She said, pointing to her bed as she also took a sat on the mattress.

The maid obliged and followed her mistress’ lead. When Gwen settled down, Morgana took her both hands between hers, looking her deeply in the eyes and said:

“What I have to tell you is very serious. Please, don’t interrupt me until I’ve said everything.”

Her friend nodded and so the seer began to speak.

 

* * *

 

 

Several minutes later, Morgana had told a summarized version of the events until the present moment, how she discovered her magic when she found out she was pregnant, how Uther had ordered Gaius to give her lessons about magic (Gwen knew about the lessons, but she truly thought that her mistress was learning herbalism), how it was Merlin instead of Gaius that was teaching her (hence the blood crystal with Gaius’s blood and features) and how their love has bloomed.

Morgana was grateful that Gwen hadn’t tried to free herself from her grip, that her friend hasn’t shown disgust when she told her about her and Merlin’s magic, though she had already stooped talking for a little while and Guinevere hadn’t uttered a single word, she was just staring, dumbfounded and silent. Tentatively, Morgana tried to incite a response from her friend and called her name:

“Gwen.”

The maid gaped and stammered:

“Milady … I … I …” Gwen lowered her eyes, trying to find something to say, then she finally spoke, stablishing eye contact and keeping it at the same time she squeezed her mistress’ hands reassuringly: “I won’t tell anyone, you have my word.”

Morgana smiled in relief, thinking that she has been a fool for not trusting her secret sooner. Gwen was her best-friend, she was very loyal and understanding, of course she wouldn’t turn her back at her now.

“But you and Merlin are in a serious mess! We have to think how we can fix this!” Gwen exclaimed in a high pitch, clearly nervous.

“I know!” Morgana gripped her hair in panic, her eyes beginning to get teary. She spoke again:

“Probably the guards have already reported the news to Uther, but he’ll try to find me there instead of Merlin there. I can lie and say that I was testing Gaius’s clothes because I came across a problem we haven’t though before: my belly growing and stretching my gowns.”

“That’s a good idea! Your appearance may remain the same, but we know that physically you’re changing. You haven’t been able to fit four of your dresses lately!”

“Please don’t say this as if it’s some sort of good thing, I’m already getting self-conscious about my weight.” The young seer murmured.

“Sorry, Morgana. Ok, now I’ll run to the physician’s quarter and change the crystals again.”

“Thank you, Gwen.” The noblewoman had an expression of fragility and she gently clasped her maid’s hand before her friend departed.

 

* * *

 

“Explain: what were you doing going to Gaius’ chambers?” Uther inquired in a stern tone.

“I didn’t go to his chambers and I was testing a theory.” Morgana replied calmly, using all her ability as a trained Lady of the Court to keep a mask of indifference.

“A theory?” He asked in confusion.

“Yes, a theory. The blood crystal, it creates an illusion that changes the body shape, but everything else remains the same, except in the first use.”

“I’m not following, Morgana.” The king said, still befuddled.

“What I wanted to test was the crystal’s illusion regarding one’s garments. As I have noticed, every time I put the necklace on, my outfit is the one I’m currently wearing, not the one I was wearing when the blood was collected. In fact, I believe the illusion was only extended to my outfit in the first day I used it. There’s a problem in that: what of the actual expansion of my belly? I’m already having difficulty fitting in my gowns, so my clothing must be adjusted to this, the crystal won’t perform **that** magic.” She calmly stated.

“And what does this have to do with you wearing Gaius’ clothes and going to his chamber?” Uther asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Well, I thought that first I should find clothes that would actually fit me as the pregnancy advances and Gaius’ robes were the only ones I could easily obtain and that wouldn’t over masculinize me, as you wouldn’t accept it.”  

“Right… but that doesn’t explain why you went to the physician’s quarters. Haven’t I made myself clear that there is off-limits for you?”

“No, it doesn’t. But I didn’t go to his quarters. It was a matter of analyzing how the clothing would fit during its use. The excess of clothing wasn’t being concealed by the crystal, so I had to test the robes in normal conditions of weather, which means, exposed to the night wind in the gardens.” She pointed nonchalantly.

“But the sentinel –”

“Sleeps at that part of the castle every night, that’s why he didn’t saw me.” She interrupted him.

“How about the guards in the corridor?” He asked, baffled.

“They play dice every night, I just happened to return to my chambers during one of those sessions.” She replied in a calm tone.

“Oh, my goodness. They are such an incompetent lot.” He mumbled while lowering his head and she nodded, smiling inwardly.

“I need to reprimand them.” He grunted and Morgana felt a little bit guilty about that, though it was the lesser evil or else Merlin’s head would be rolling. He regained her attention when he scolded her:

“But you also did something extremely suspicious, Morgana. How are we going to explain your night stroll with Gaius’ clothing?”  

“We can say that Arthur challenged me to wear Gaius’ robes. I’m sure the guards will believe it.” She said matter-of-factly.

“Fine.” The king said, seemly satisfied with her answer, then he continued speaking: “Just don’t you ever do that again.”

“I won’t, milord.” She reassured him and then added: “But we still need to solve the problem about my clothes.”

“I’m sure Gaius will think of something. Ask him during your next lesson.”

“As you wish, my King.” She curtsied to him while he left her chamber.

It was a poorly made excuse that she had come up with and wasn’t exactly sure if he’d believe her. At least her lie had was able to explain everything and she thought that Uther wasn’t aware that Gaius also had a blood crystal, which made him oblivious to the truth. It was impressive how sometimes he just wanted to believe her words and have some sort of logical explanation to something instead of wonder about the unknown. Lucky for her the king had those days.

By now, Gwen was probably saving the rest of their skins telling Gaius and Merlin about her ladyship cover story, which would hopefully appease the king’s curiosity if he asked the physician about the episode.

Definitely, having her best-friend’s help was the sole good thing that came out of that situation, which she would do her best to avoid in the future, even if that meant she had to come up with another way for Merlin to gain access to her chambers.

Feeling tired after the ordeal, Morgana decided to take a nap and rest for a bit, shortly falling asleep until she was disturbed by a terrible nightmare: Arthur dying by a wound made by the Questing Beast. She woke up screaming and by then Gwen had already returned to her chambers, embraced her mistress and tried to calm her down.

 

* * *

 

 

“Was that all you saw in the dream?” Merlin asked her and Morgana nodded. Gwen was also there, still unsure about how to deal with the fact that her best-friends had magic, but she was glad that they were using it to protect Camelot and its people – she was particularly thankful to Merlin for healing her father and saving his life.

But her gratitude wasn’t enough for her to not being surprised when he came up flying – as a damn bird – by Morgana’s window and suddenly transformed into a human right in front of her eyes as if it was the most natural thing to do.

“Arthur will be hurt by the Questing Beast and die if he decides to hunt it! We have to stop him!” Morgana exclaimed, truly terrified that the Prince could end up dead.

“Morgana, calm down.” Merlin tried to soothe down her apprehension, holding her in a comforting hug. Then he continued saying: “I won’t let it happen. I’ll protect Arthur, I swear.”

Between sobs, Morgana protested:

“But what if you can’t? What if the beast is faster than you? We can’t risk Arthur’s life, Merlin! You know we can’t!”

“I know it, Morgana, better than anyone. That’s why I promise you I’ll look after him.”

“He’s like family to me, Merlin. I won’t just stand here and wait for this future to come true. I have the feeling that if he goes there he’ll be struck by the beast, Merlin. Accompanying him won’t be enough to keep him safe.” She said, looking dead serious into his eyes.

Merlin was perplexed about her statement. She better than anyone knew that Arthur would hunt the beast no matter what they said, so he ended up saying:

“You know Arthur won’t simply accept that, Morgana. It’s his duty as the Camelot’s Prince to hunt down the threats to the kingdom. We can’t stop him, you know that.”

“Then we can lock him up or do something to avoid him going … I can help you hunt it down and … and Camelot will be safe.” She said, stammering.

“Absolutely not!” Merlin exclaimed. The thought of putting her in such danger was too much absurd.

“Merlin!” She protested, but her words were lost as he continued to speak in a frenetic speed:

“You’re pregnant! You can’t expose yourself to such danger as if it was the most natural thing to do! What if you get hurt? What if you end up losing the child or worse dead?”

“Merlin, the fact that I’m pregnant doesn’t turn me into an invalid person! I can swordfight better than many knights, I have also learnt magic with you and I know of your secret, so we could kill the beast from a safe distance with our magic without the fear of being discovered! It’s a completely rational course of action!” She stated with an enraged tone.

“No! There’s too much at risk, Morgana. I can’t possible let you into a dangerous hunt like that!”

“I think Merlin is right, milady.” Gwen agreed with Merlin, fearful for her mistress wellbeing.

Contradicted, Morgana said:

“Fine.” And shortly she added: “But you have to promise me you’ll watch over him properly, Merlin.”

“I’ll do my best, my love.” Merlin replied and kissed her lips briefly.

Gwen blushed a little and smiled at their demonstration of affection.

After Merlin left the same way he got in – flying as a damn bird – Morgana talked to Gwen about her dream with more details.

* * *

In the following dawn, the hunting party had successfully tracked down the Questing Beast and unfortunately the creature had killed Sir Bedivere.

Arthur and Merlin cornered the beast and it was about to attack them when Arthur suddenly yelled:

**“Ástríce!”**

And the beast fell lifeless to the ground.

All Merlin could summon up to say was:

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ástríce!” means “I strike”  
> Thanks for the kudos!!!


	16. Chapter 15

“What?!” Merlin asked, dumbfounded.

“It’s me, silly.” Morgana replied and took off the blood crystal, showing him her true face.

“Wha… How … You … you shouldn’t be here!” He stuttered.

Morgana put on the necklace around her neck and sliced the Questing Beast’s neck, doing a deep cut that would be enough to kill a creature of that size. After that, she cast a spell that made a bruise appear at her forehead, a little bit below the blonde’s hair line. That only made Merlin even more tense thinking about exactly how she had managed to keep Arthur in his bed that morning.

Using Arthur’s face, she told him, perfectly impersonating her foster brother:

“Come on, Merlin. The other knights will come here at any second, let’s tell them the good news.”

It did lack an insult or two, but she was spot on imitating Arthur’s demeanor. The warlock was still trying to gather his own thoughts to properly reprimand her for exposing herself to such danger when the other men arrived, postponing their conversation.

They cut the beast’s head and brought it back to Camelot as a trophy and the knights were relieved that the dangerous threat had come to an end, which only inflamed more their pride and trust in their Prince, but they were also mournful for having lost a valuable companion – Sir Bedivere was one of the oldest knights, he had befriended many others and he would be missed by them.

By the “Prince’s” side, Merlin was sulking and the knights thought that it was due to Bedivere’s death, but the reason was completely different. He was forced to watch while Morgana disregarded his concern and took Arthur’s place in that deadly quest, risking herself and their child, and then she was acting as if what she was doing was a common occurrence, just another day in Camelot where they had to keep Arthur safe at any cost – in fact regardless of the cost.

When they finally arrived in the citadel and the news spread that Prince Arthur had slain the Questing Beast and got back with only a minor scratch. Camelot’s population cheered the news and King Uther was there to welcome his victorious son back wearing a proud smile on his face.

“Arthur!” Uther embraced Morgana disguised as the blonde Prince and then patted “his” shoulder and said: “You did a great job! I’m really proud of you, my son!”

“Thank you, Father. I only performed my duty and I’m afraid I must rest immediately. I feel a little bit dizzy.” “He” pointed out the bruise and the king nodded and said:

“I’ll tell Gaius to have a look at it later. Camelot needs its champion in full health for the feast tonight!”

“Yes, Father. If you may excuse me, I’ll go to my chambers for now and rest.” “Arthur” turned to the manservant and said: “Come on, Merlin.”

“Yes, Sire.”

 

* * *

       

Back in the Prince’s chambers, Merlin found his royal pratness passed out on his four-poster bed drooling to his heart’s content.

The warlock turned to Morgana/Arthur and said:

“Ok, explain yourself! I thought that we had agreed on this!”

“Arthur is like family to me, Merlin. I couldn’t – knowing that my nightmares do come true – just let him hunt the beast and seal his fate – the one you’re trying to protect by the way!” She retorted, clearly upset that he wasn’t being understanding.

“I understand that, but why did you pretend to agree with my decision and then you acted behind my back?!” He questioned, this time truly losing his temper.

“I had to do it! Don’t you understand? Arthur merely being there would be his undoing! I know it! You have to hide your magic in front of him, you wouldn’t be able to stop him from getting hurt!” She replied in frustration.

“Then why didn’t you try to convince me of that before facing the danger? Why didn’t you talk to me?” He asked, truly hurt by her lack of faith in him.

“I’m sorry, Merlin, I truly am.” She replied weakly, using Arthur’s face and Merlin thought that this was probably the only time he’d hear those words coming from the prince’s lips. Seriously, talking to her while she was wearing the crystal was truly confusing.

“For a while … I thought that you were right, that you would protect him by yourself. But then I dreamed again about him being hurt and I just couldn’t sit around doing nothing, waiting for it to come true.” She said and he could tell she was being genuine.

Merlin sighed in defeat. He couldn’t be mad at her for long, he admitted it to himself, even if she was now borrowing the prat’s appearance. Nonetheless, they had to reach an agreement about her intervention in saving Camelot and Arthur’s life in the near future, so he gathered his own thought and spoke:

“Ok, Morgana, you were concerned about him and this time your plan worked, **this time**. Although, someday it can fail and you can get hurt, so from now on, please, talk to me first about those matters. I promise you I’ll try to include you in saving the day as long as you stay out of harm’s way.” And he gave her one of his boyish grins.

She/he giggled in happiness and inclined to kiss Merlin when the warlock stopped her with his palm on her lips.

“You’re still Arthur!”

She laughed and said: “Oh, sorry, I forgot.”

“How are you going to leave this room without raising suspicious? The prat should be sleeping by now and more important, how are we going to convince him that he went to hunt in the first place?” He questioned, raising his brows.

“Easy.” She said and took her necklace off, revealing that she was wearing a chainmail, and continued afterwards: “We just have to tell him he killed the beast and got hit in the head, he certainly won’t mind taking all the glory to himself. About the other thing, I’ll be you and then Gwen will distract the guards and hand me my own crystal. She’s waiting nearby.”

“So she was your accomplice, huh?” He asked, narrowing his eyes and she smiled wickedly.

“Do you think that only you and Arthur know how to play this game?”

“No, I suspect that you and Gwen are partners in crime for much longer, so you two must have some kind of mind synchrony for schemes.” He replied and grinned too.

“Oh, my, Merlin. I thought we had concealed that perfectly.” She replied, teasing him.

“Not as much as you’d like to think you did.” He replied, this time grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer to him.

“Oh, and what will you do about it?” She asked, getting even more flirtatious.

“Don’t know, do you have any ideas?” He said in a husky tone, decreasing the gap between their lips, their breaths combining.

“Maybe I do.” She crashed her lips into his and they kissed passionately, momentarily forgetting that they were still on Arthur’s chambers and if the prince woke up in that moment he’d find the situation bizarre, in the best case scenario.

Someone knocked on the door and that certainly made them alert again. The two opened their eyes in fright and disentangled themselves, Morgana jumped to the floor and rolled under Arthur’s bed while Merlin went to open the door.

Thankfully it was Gwen, so the warlock rushed her to go inside and closed the door.

“Gwen! Iwasn’texpectingyouhere!” Merlin spoke in a single breath.

“Where is Morgana? What’s taking her so long?” The maid whispered, visibly concerned about her friend.

“Here, Gwen.” The Lady waved her hand from her hiding place.

“Oh, thank the gods! Please, we must get going, Gaius will come at any minute.”

“I need to get dressed first. I can’t be me in a chainmail.” Morgana replied and Gwen ordered:

“Merlin, turn around!”

The young man did as he was told and Morgana swiftly changed her outfit with her maid’s help and dressed a spare gown that was strategically placed on the Prince’s chamber the same morning.

“Now the blood for the crystal.” Gwen used a needle to pierce Merlin’s thumb and the warlock jumped due to the unexpected pain.

“Stay here, Merlin. Don’t you dare get out of these chambers!” It was Gwen using a non-expected menacing tone and he wondered who exactly was more serious about them not being caught – if he and Morgana or Guinevere. Regardless, he obeyed her", which seemed the most rational person in the room, because he certainly was getting distracted by Morgana’s presence.

He glanced at Morgana – now disguised as himself – and he couldn’t help but laugh at their situation. She mirrored his reaction and two Merlins stood with a goofy grin directed at one another.

Then Gwen interrupted them saying: “The path is clear. Go, Morgana, go!”

She promptly left the room and mere moments after Gaius was there to examine Arthur.

The prince finally regained his senses and his manservant explained the events for him.

 

* * *

 

    

 “Morgana dreamed again and this time she saw that you couldn’t do anything for fear that Arthur would find out about your magic, so he was struck by the beast’s claws and was going to die. She told me everything and convinced me to help her. I sneaked into Gaius’ chambers during the night, got your blood crystal, Morgana hit Arthur’s head and was curiously very satisfied doing that –”

“Gweeeeeen!” Morgana squealed in protest and laughed, but her friend ignored her and continued her tale:

“We got his blood and used the crystal to disguise Morgana as him, then she put a sleeping spell on Arthur and took his place in the hunt. There, I think this summarize everything.”

“Ehrm ... thank you, Gwen, for the short version.” Merlin replied and added:

“I just don’t understand how Morgana convinced you so easily. I thought that you had agreed with me that it was too dangerous to let her actively help.”

“I thought that at first, Merlin. I really did. But then she told me the other part of her dream and she demonstrated the spell she’d be using as well as explained that she already knew exactly what the beast would do. She had seen the future, I couldn’t argue against that.” The maid pointed out and Merlin nodded, convinced that both women were right in the matter.

“Ok, but from now on you tell us everything, Morgana, not missing a single detail or thought!” He said with a serious face.

“Fine, Merlin. We won’t have secrets between ourselves from now on as long as you don’t try to forbid me of helping.”

“Alright, love.”

Merlin and Morgana gazed at each other’s eyes as a couple utterly in love. Maybe it was making them overlook some details – meaning the risk of being caught either together or practicing magic – thankfully they had Guinevere to watch over them and keep them out of harm’s range. Gwen smiled at her two friends and internally vowed to protect their love and help them whenever danger appears to threaten Camelot. If they work together as a team, them things would probably work out, she hoped.

 

* * *

 

 

Things were going back to normality in the kingdom – Uther ranting about sorcery, Arthur taking the glory for saving Camelot when he didn’t move a single finger to help, Merlin and Morgana were improving their stealth and magic, Gaius being worryingly close of having a heart attack because of his ward’s behavior, and Gwen was doing her best to support her friends’ relationship (and keep it a secret). Only a day had passed since Camelot’s troops brought the good news and the citadel was still celebrating it.

When night came, Merlin was at Morgana’s chambers, with her head resting on his naked chest as they both fell asleep.

Suddenly a hollowing wind opened the window and a figure shrouded by the shadows of the moonless night entered the room and said:

“Hello, Emrys.”


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, it belongs to BBC

 

“Hello, Emrys.”

“....”

“Emrys?” The person asked, befuddled by the lack of response.

Then, she took her cloak, revealing her red gown and brown locks, her perfectly sculpted face and piercing blue eyes. Noticing that Merlin and Morgana were fast asleep, Nimueh inhaled deeply and yelled, after she used her magic to stop sounds from leaving the chambers:

“ **EMRYS**!!!!”

The couple jumped out of bed, Morgana, acting based on her fighting training, took the closest object that could be used as a weapon, while Merlin felt unceremoniously on his bottom, completely stunned and naked.

“What?!” The warlock inquired while using his hands to cover his groin.

“Who are you?” Morgana questioned the intruder, keeping her under the aim of a hairbrush, also in her birthing suit.

“I’m Nimueh, High Priestess of the Old Religion.” She replied, muffling a laughter when seeing the scene. She added: “I might have come in an improper time, I’ll turn and give you time to recompose yourself.”

“Oh, how kind of you.” Morgana retorted sarcastically and inquired: “What are doing here in the first place?”

“Don’t you want to have this conversation being at least presentable?” The High Priestess asked.

The noblewoman grunted, displeased that the woman made sense, though while she dressed her nightgown she glared at the sorceress with distrust.

Merlin found his pants and quickly put them on, whereas he didn’t find any sign of his shirt, so he decided to look for it later and deal with the peeping tom.

“What are you doing here, Nimueh? Why are you calling me Emrys?” This time the warlock inquired while he got closer to Morgana, reading himself for a possible confrontation.

“Because that’s your name.” She answered, spinning to face them and she added: “Isn’t it, Merlin?” She smirked at them and Morgana looked confused at her lover. He hadn’t mentioned that before.

“ _That’s the name the Druids call me._ ” He projected to her mind.

“So what? Do you know about the prophecies?”

“Oh, please, I’m a High Priestess of the Old Religion!” Nimueh rolled her eyes and continued speaking: “To reach such honor I had to study every known prophecy of this land.”

“Yet you sent a beast to cause Arthur’s death, more then once!” Merlin countered angrily.

“I was testing destiny, young Merlin.” She paused briefly and said grinning and taking a step closer to them: “You have no idea how many times the elements of the ‘Once and Future’ prophecy where there and yet those involved weren’t the ones born under such fate.”

“I don’t believe in you! That day of the poison should’ve been enough proof, yet you continued to attack Camelot –”

“Not, exactly, Uther to be more precise.” Nimueh retorted.

“and Arthur! You sent the Questing Beast to kill him!” Merlin finished saying.

“Nonetheless he never faced that danger, huh? I believe you had extra help, that apparently warms you at night too.”

“That’s none of your business!” Morgana snarled indignantly.

“Maybe yes, maybe not.” Nimueh said, tilting her head at the seer and raising her brows. Then, she added: “You carry very important beings of the Old Religion in your womb. You all must be properly taught about the Old Ways, mere books and a senile old man that hasn’t practiced magic in the last twenty years won’t be enough for you to reach your full potential.”

“What do you mean by beings?” Merlin asked.

“Haven’t you sensed it, Emrys? There’s more than one presence there. Three to be more precise.” The High Priestess replied.

Morgana gasped in surprise and Merlin was dumbfounded. Three? One magical baby would be enough trouble to have their hands full for the next ten years, imagine three. He started to laugh, a mix of happiness and a nervous laugh.

“How do you know that?” Morgana inquired while her lover had a fit of laughter.

“My training, young seer. There’s so much you can do if you have proper education concerning magic, it’s a shame to leave your powers underdeveloped because you can’t find a proper mentor.” Nimueh replied, taking another step closer.

“There must be a catch. I know what you have done against Arthur and Camelot, why didn’t you help Merlin in the first place?” The younger woman questioned, rightfully suspicious of the High Priestess.

“I had different plans, I admit. But now I understand that my part in your Fate is to guide you, not seek a fruitless revenge while Fate will inexorably take care of the tyrant.”

“I don’t trust you!” Merlin said, finally regaining his ground again.

“Neither do I.” Morgana reaffirmed his station.

“I want the same thing that you do: magic to be freely practiced in Albion again. I’m tired of having to watch while our kind is slayed like animals due to the crime of merely being born.” She tried to reason with them, stating their common goal.

“Killing Uther won’t help. It’ll only harden Arthur’s heart against magic.” Merlin countered and after a moment of indecision, Morgana nodded.

“I already told you that’ll let destiny follow its course and the tyrant shall find the death that’s written in his fate.” Nimueh told them, taking one more step closer and stopping close enough to be an arm’s length from them.

“Why are you doing this now? Why teach us?” Merlin questioned, tired with all the thinking that Nimueh had suddenly had a change of heart.

“You’ll face many threats while protecting Arthur.” She said, looking into Merlin’s eyes and then swiftly turning her head to stablish eye contact with Morgana, she added: “And your children are a blessing for magic and the Old Religion. If you want to give yourselves and them the best possible chance, you must have deep knowledge about magic and its secrets, something that you certainly won’t obtain here.”

“And what is there for you in this? What will you gain by helping us?’ Merlin asked, still suspicious.     

“I serve the Triple Goddess, Emrys. What I gain is the fulfillment of Her wishes, and it’s clear as day that you must be properly guided in order to build Albion’s long awaited future.” The High Priestess replied, grinning at their ingenuity.

“You have threatened our people when you put the afanc in the waters, you have already proved that you have no concern about the means you use to achieve your goals, why should we trust you?” This time Morgana spoke, still distrusting the woman in front of her.

“It was to make your king bend and resort to magic once more to save his people or die along with them. That, young seer, would have spared the lives of many others, those that have magic, like you, and are hunted like criminals for the mere act of being alive.” Nimueh replied with a certain tone of annoyance. What else did they want, a full apology? A High Priestess never go so low before, though she was dealing with the most powerful magic wielders in all of Albion – thankfully they didn’t know the true extent of their powers yet – and they had already produced children that would be even more powerful than themselves – nonetheless their ignorance was a bliss for her.

“What do you mean by ‘once more’?” Morgana asked and Nimueh smirked. Obviously, the coward hadn’t told them the origins of Uther’s hatred toward magic.

“Hasn’t Gaius told you, any of you?” The duo shook their heads in a negative, and Nimueh said:

“Ygraine, the Queen, couldn’t conceive by natural means and Uther begged me to use the Gift to give him a male heir. I warned him that such magic - involving life and death – would have a big cost – someone’s life to be more precise – he said that he’d pay it, no matter what. It’s the Goddess that chooses whose life is taken when such spells are performed and She choose the Queen’s life. The rest you must know, he got mad with his grief and has been persecuting and killing us as mere beasts as if we weren’t even human to begin with.”

Morgana gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand while Merlin gaped like a fish.

“How could he?” Morgana whispered in an almost inaudible voice and Merlin felt anger that the King had condemned so many to a painful death when he had used the same magic to get what he wanted and then turned his back on the ones that had granted his wish when things didn’t happen the way he expected.

“Is that why you did everything you did?” Merlin asked the High Priestess, finally letting his guard down around her.

“Yes, Merlin. I wanted to get this land rid of such a cruel man or at least make him resort to magic once more and prove to the people that it isn’t the evil he declared it to be. Many lives were taken in my quest, I admit, but they weren’t in vain, they served a higher purpose: freedom.”  

Nimueh smirked inwardly as she waited for them to speak. They were certainly taking their time, thinking deeply about the causes for magic’s ban and how it was unfair of Uther to hunt everyone possessing magic when he agreed with the risk he was taking or at least he could have just take his revenge against Nimueh and let the rest of the magical community in peace.

“I still don’t know if we can trust you.” Morgana said and paused briefly before she added: “though I agree that we won’t be able to obtain more knowledge – that could be the difference between life and death – here, while we lurk in forbidden corners of the castle, with outlawed books that could cost our heads for the mere act of having them under our possession.”

“But we’ll still have the autonomy to choose what we want to learn. Don’t you think you can trick us into practicing dark magic.” Merlin complemented and Nimueh thought that they were already at that stage in which couples complete each other’s sentences.

“Fine, I give you my word that I’ll follow your wishes.”

“Okay…” Morgana said, narrowing her eyes and Merlin mimicked her action “for now.” Then the seer placed her hands on her hip and added, crossly: “And if you’d be a darling and recall a minimum of common courtesy you’d leave my chambers and never again initiate a chat in this inappropriate time of the night.”

Nimueh curtsied dramatically exaggerated and replied: “As you wish, milady.” And threw an object in the couples direction – which Merlin grabbed as he was improving in taking the right action when things were thrown at him.

“For when you need to contact me or vice-versa.” The High Priestess elaborated before turning into a crow and flying away from Camelot, leaving two confused magic beings.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Basically, this chapter is the one in which Nimueh tries to seduce both Merlin and Morgana with promises of more power.
> 
> I think I’ll finish this story in 4 or 5 chapters at most. Maybe write random comical events related to this later, but the main plot will end in more or less that. So, if I don’t update before Christmas, Merry Christmas, folks, : )


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin. It belongs to BBC.  
> Thanks to you, readers, that have taken the time to, well, read this story, = D  
> Also, special thanks for those that have left kudos, = D  
> If you enjoyed the story, please leave a comment.

The days have passed since Nimueh contacted Merlin and Morgana. Sometimes the couple would answer to the High Priestess call and meet her at the woods, where she’d lecture them about magic, its history and the events of the Purge.

They still didn’t fully trust her, so whatever she’d say they would immediately report to Gaius, which would lead to many unpleasant conversations about the horrors of that period. Arthur’s magical conception was a particularly shocking revelation and Gaius’ confirmation of the truth enraged Morgana deeply. How could Uther abuse magic and later on, without caring for the consequences, blame it and persecute everyone that had it even if none of them had any direct relation with his grief.

One of those lecture days with Nimueh, Morgana asked her:

“Why didn’t you turn yourself over?”

“Excuse me?” The High Priestess inquired, thinking that the girl was spouting an absurd.

“When Uther began the Purge, why didn’t you turn yourself over? It could have saved the life of many innocents! He wouldn’t have a reason to keep killing our kin!” Morgana exclaimed and Merlin nodded.

“Sweet naïve child, you know nothing of the heart of men. Do you actually believe that my death would sate his lust for magical blood?” Nimueh smirked at her ingenuity and Morgana gulped before answering:

“He might be a ruthless man, but he still upholds his honor. I’m sure that once he had achieved his revenge – ”

“He would still burn everyone else or drawn, in case it was a child. No one can reason with a mad man, young fay, maybe only someone that is also mad.” Nimueh interrupted her and Merlin and Morgana could notice a hint of sadness when she spoke, that was soon erased by another of her smirks. Shortly, she added:

“Nothing good would come of it. Uther had already destroyed the Isle of the Blessed when I thought of turning myself in if only for a minimal chance of sparing the rest of the magical community. It has always been the High Priestess duty to sacrifice herself to keep magic’s strength in the land, but it was already too late, I had to preserve the knowledge of the Goddess, that became my duty.” The woman smiled while speaking, but her eyes acquired a distant look, and the two young lovers wondered about the tragedies she had witnessed in her lifetime, that certainly didn’t match her young appearance.

“The Goddess gives and the Goddesss takes. A good servant of Her learns that sacrifices are necessary for the world’s balance and true glory.” Nimueh added, readying herself to leave the woods and end their lesson.

“It seems rather cruel.” Merlin said, deep in thought.

“For simple or ignorant minds it may seem like that, but for those that understand the deeper meaning of those words, everything makes sense.” The brunette woman retorted.

“That’s rather vague.” Morgana objected, Nimueh smirked and walked deeper into the woods instead of replying, leaving Merlin and Morgana alone.

 

* * *

 

 

“Arthur, what would you do if you knew a very important secret that could affect someone that you know deeply?” Morgana asked the Prince, still unsure if it was her place to tell him or not about how he was conceived with magic.

“What is this about? Oh, if you found out that Merlin likes men instead of women and thinks that’s a secret to me, do not bother. I’ve known the truth for a long while now, even though he did try to avert my suspicions saying improper things about y- a certain woman that we both know.” He griped her arms in reassurance.

“What?!” She asked confused and he explained more:

“Look, Morgana, I know you are concerned that he might try something with me – as you’re aware that I am … irresistible – but don’t worry, I can defend myself with ease, Merlin isn’t a problem.”

“That’s not what I was talking about” _And the last time I checked he certainly he proved just how much he likes women, more precisely me_ , Morgana thought to herself.

“Oh, it’s another thing. Then, let me ask you, Morgana, is this secret yours to tell?”

“Why are you asking this?” She inquired, frowning.

“Well, I’m helping you here. You are not sure if you should tell it or not, correct?” The blond man asked, furrowing his brows.

“Yes, there-” She was about to say more when he interrupted her:

“And you came here for **my help** , **my help**! You’re finally admitting, Morgana, what I had the certainty for a long, long time. **You think that I’m wise**.” Arthur’s grin almost stretched from ear to ear.

Morgana rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation, not completely believing how he turned the conversation into a shabby attempt of a bragging festival in his name.

“Oh, no, my true purpose was discovered! I came here to worship his Excellency, Prince Arthur Pendragon, with his undeniable wisdom and his halo of golden knowledge, emitted directly from his mop of blonde hair – the only thing that his head contains.”  

“Are you mocking me?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Are you only suspecting that? Oh, Arthur, I’m not exactly sure if that makes you more or less stupid than what I expected.” She snickered.

“That’s not funny, Morgana! I was truly trying to help you here!” He exclaimed, crossed his arms and pouted.

“You have helped, I needed a good laugh.” She said, momentarily distracted of her initial thoughts that didn’t take long to reclaim their place in her troubled mind.

“Humph, glad I could be of some assistance.” He grumbled, still slightly irritated that about her remarks, yet already forgetting as it was a common place in their daily banter.

After a while, Arthur spoke:

“You haven’t changed much, I mean, with the whole thing of having magic and everything. You’re still you, insufferable and everything.” The lady chuckled, reading her come back:

“What did you expect? That I grew horns in my head and that I spat fire from my mouth?” She asked sarcastically. Arthur narrowed his eyes and replied:

“You do know that actually has been happening before this whole fairy situation, huh? Haven’t you been around you since you began having a special time of the month?”

She punched his arm lightly and said: “Shut up!”

“Oh, no, the silver tongued Lady Morgana of Cornwall was left speechless by the humble Prince Arthur Pendragon! Why aren’t the scribes here to register this historical moment?”

“Since when you’re humble?” She inquired, crossing her arms and he replied:

“I did and that’s the word of a Prince.”

She laughed at his silly explanation and came to a conclusion: he was actually right. It wasn’t her secret to tell, it was Uther and Gaius’s, the ones that recurred to magic in the first place to conceive Arthur. He had the right to listen the truth from their mouths, not hers, like it wasn’t her place to tell him about the Once and Future King Prophecy, it was Merlin’s.

So, for now, she would oblige to Gaius and Merlin’s request and not tell Arthur what Nimueh has revealed to them, instead she would do her best to open Arthur’s mind to magic and support him whenever the truth comes out.     

   

* * *

The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months while the magical duel rebuffed the dangers to Arthur and Camelot. Gwen took Morgana’s place during the annual journey to visit Gorlois’ grave due to Morgana’s advanced pregnancy and that time Uther had to send his soldier, not for the peasant, but for the blood crystal she wore to pass as her mistress. Arthur lead the attack and returned home with the fake Lady – whose nobility lied in her good heart.  

A little bit before the arrival of Lady Katrina of Tregor – or the one disguised as such – to the kingdom, the day Morgana would give birth was drawing closer.

Uther was throwing a feast due to a tournament held in his Ward’s honor – that was the closest he could do to celebrate the incoming birth of his grandchildren, there were three according to Gaius. To Morgana and Arthur, the king said that a feast was always celebrated for the impending birth of the royal family members and as he would adopt Morgana’s children they would be a part of Camelot’s royal family and thus deserved a tournament and feast to celebrate them. Using his ward (daughter) as the excuse for such celebrations, no one would suspect the true parentage of the children, while they wouldn’t be deprived of the proper honors.

Although in the corners of the king’s mind, his grandchildren had grown in his heart. Watching the progression of Morgana’s pregnancy simultaneously filled Uther with hope and fear.

Hope that he would gain more three children and strengthen Camelot’s royal bloodline, that he would truly enjoy their childhood and every step of their growth, something that he hadn’t truly done with neither Arthur nor Morgana, the first because he was too struck by grief during his initial years (only looking at his son saddened him, he was the spitting image of his mother) and the second had only began living with him after she had already ten years of age.

Fear that would never leave him, the fear of losing his daughter during childbirth. Of his children, Morgana was always the more similar to him, both in appearance and temperament, he knew he would be completely devastated in case she die.

Also, there was the irritating subject: magic. Gaius had no success in his researches of how to get Morgana rid of it, but there was another person that could help – as long as he was kept many miles away from his daughter – Aredian. The witch hunter had aided Uther deeply during the purge, as well as other witch hunters, though Aredian was the most competent one and precisely because of that he would only inquire the man through correspondence. He couldn’t risk him spreading to the whole kingdom that the King’s ward was a practitioner of magic – he would either be seen as an easily fooled man or a weak king that would choose who should follow the Law and who had the luxury of ignoring it.

Moreover, as his daughter still had that unpredictable “curse” that still reacted when she was submitted to any strong emotions, even though she was being taught by Gaius on how to control it, his persecution to sorcery had decreased. Uther hoped that after Morgana had given birth she would be freed of magic, as his physician assumed that might happen.

The King sit at the end of the big table that ornated the main hall, by his right side sat Arthur and by his left side Morgana, his two children and that thought always swelled him with pride. They were strong, determined young adults, sometimes not very obedient, especially Morgana, but they were good children and he loved them deeply, even if he wouldn’t frequently say so or be harsh to them. The world was cruel and tough decisions were made in order to ensure their position of power, that lesson was one that they hadn’t truly internalized well.

Suddenly the music stopped, the murmur of conversation ceased and Uther heard his knights unsheathing their swords, which took him out of his thoughts.      

His gaze shifted to the center of the hall where the same Sidhe that enchanted his daughter stood. Taken by a sudden eruption of rage, Uther abruptly stood up and yelled:

“YOU! Guards! Kill him!!” The king commanded, fuming in anger.

The fairy merely stopped the men with a single hand, tossing them around the room, and said:

“You thought yourself so clever, hiding your daughter’s shame with magic! Heed my words, Uther Pendragon, no mortal can ever hope to outwit one of the Sidhe! You will hide your child’s tainted honor no more!” The fae’s eyes glowed red and the chain of the Blood Crystal necklace broke in many pieces, revealing the Morgana’s true shape – of an eight months pregnant woman.


	19. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin. It belongs to BBC.

 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Uther screamed while the Sidhe disappeared.

The king promptly rushed to the stables, so determined to face the wretched creature in his so called sacred place - the lake he had come across so many years ago – that he didn’t notice when one of the flags that were attached to the walls feel on Morgana and she squealed. Uther was long lost to his enraged pursuit.

Merlin – that stood by the servant’s entrance as he was forbidden to be in the same room as her ladyship – acted quickly and used his magic to cover Morgana with the cloth, giving her enough time to restore the necklace’s chain and cover her secret. Surely Arthur would come up with something to maintain Morgana’s pregnancy confidential.

“ _Fix the blood crystal, love, we can still get out of this situation unharmed._ ” He spoke in her mind.

Merlin ran to Arthur’s side while the prince tried to help his foster sister – and if the fairy was telling the truth actual sister – to get rid of the fabric that covered her. Arthur whispered for her to fix the collar immediately. If she did so they could still handle everything. Gwen also rushed to assist the two men, truly concerned for her friend’s fate now that the truth came out.

When they finally uncovered Morgana, she was once more with the shape of a fit woman with no trace of her bulging abdomen. The court that was expectantly about the shocking news gasped, unsure about what to believe in.

Arthur released the breath he was holding and seized the opportunity to restore the Lady’s honor and solve the misunderstanding (that wasn’t actually a misunderstanding), hopefully no one would be dumb enough to question his words:

“What a despicable creature, trying to make a fool of us using its sorcery to put in doubt the Lady Morgana’s honor!” He fisted his hand to the audience and acquired an indignant expression, then he continued to speak, not before whispering a sorry to her: “and that’s why magic must be eradicated from this land, so that we’ll no longer fear be fooled by such contemptible tricks!”

Arthur gripped Morgana’s forearm and prompted her to walk a few steps so they were entirely visible to the crowd.

“Hear me, loyal people of Camelot! What you heard today were nothing but lies of a trickster and the proof stands right before your eyes! So, remember today as it was, a day in which the use of sorcery has only demonstrated its wickedness.” He said, pointing his finger incisively.

“And that’s why we of the House Pendragon vow to get the land rid of this plague once and for all!” He lifted Morgana’s arm and the people cheered.

The noblewoman glared at him, Merlin and Gwen wondered how the prince could remain so calm while such an evident death intent was directed at him.

Arthur mumbled to Morgana for her to remain calm and follow his lead. Merlin whispered in her mind that the prince didn’t believe the words he said, he was just playing the part of a magic hater and diverting the attention from her.

“Guinevere, please take Morgana to her chambers, I’ll entertain our guest a little longer and end the festivities for today.” The maid nodded and grabbed the Lady’s free arm while Morgana protested:

“Wait, Arthur, I want to talk to you.”

“We’ll do this later, Morgana. I still have to deal with this feast and find Father.” He said it between gritted teeth and she realized he was tense and probably doing his very best in the king’s absence, so she complied and let Gwen guide her to her chambers.

Then, Arthur muttered to his manservant:

“Merlin, go find my Father. If possible, stop him from doing anything stupid, like fighting alone a magical creature that easily defeated fifteen of our finest warriors. Tell him I already took care of everything and that I’ll meet you two shortly, after I have dismissed this feast.”

“Yes, sire.” The warlock replied, knowing they didn’t have time to waste and he ran to the stables to find a horse and follow the king.

 

* * *

Uther was galloping at full speed towards the lake that he visited thirty-six years prior. He cursed that fatidic day his curiosity won over his logical (*cof*cof) mind and he diverted from his initial path, but mostly, he cursed the vile creature that had enchanted his daughter, his precious Morgana, and not satisfied in tainting her honor in such a devious manner, that **thing** exposed her, shaming his daughter to the whole court.

The **thing** would pay! He’d make it pay!!!! Wasn’t forcing Morgana to sire three bastard children punishment enough? Surely only he saw that silly fairy ballet, it was not as if the entirety of those despicable creatures knew what happened, the damned fairy surely overstep its so called revenge.

Damn it, he should have burnt the woods surrounding that lake, as well as dredged the bloody place. Yes, he would do it, after he run his sword through that impish vermin’s heart.

When he reached the lake, he yelled:

“Show yourself, coward! Show yourself and face me like a man!”

“Careful with what you desire, Uther Pendragon. I’m right here, ready to eliminate your existence from this good earth!” The Sidhe replied with pungent hate in his voice.

The king’s horse neighed loudly, rearing up on its hind legs, and Uther struggled to keep in control of the animal. The man pointed a finger to the fairy and he cried out between gritted teeth:

“How dare you? The one finishing another life will be me, you scum!!!!”

Uther prompted his horse into the fae’s direction and the animal reared up and neighed again, precisely at the moment the magical being threw an energy blast at the king.

Seconds before the beast was hit, its final thoughts were: “Oh, no, not again!”

Uther and his horse crumbled to the ground and the king hit his head in the process, being knocked out.

The Sidhe slowly flew into his direction, savoring his victory over the violator of his people’s sacred rituals.

“And now, Uther Pendragon.” He hissed the king’s name in utter contempt before adding: “You fully understand my pain!”

The magical being noticed that his foe was unconscious, so he continued speaking:

“You mortals are such weaklings. A mere fall was enough to knock you out? Pathetic!”

At that moment, Merlin finally reached the lake and reacted instinctively when he saw the scene before him: he cast a magical bolt that exploded the Sidhe in many pieces.

Then, the warlock pulled the king from under the horse’s corpse and, with a little help of his own magic due to Uther’s weight – lifted the man to his own mount and rode back to Camelot.

 

* * *

 

 

The king woke up gasping and almost fell of the horse, while Merlin tried to steady himself.

“Sire, sire, it’s ok, you’re safe.” The young man said.

“What about the creature?!” The king asked with eyes wide open from his momentary confusion.

“I only found you, sire, no magical being or anything else.” Merlin lied.

“Get off the horse, boy.” Uther said as he regained his senses.

“Sire, the prince –” He tried to protest, but it was useless.

“I GAVE YOU AN ORDER, BOY, OBEY ME!” Uther yelled, interrupting him.

Merlin did what was told, sensing that this wasn’t a good moment to antagonize the king’s orders, but he did try to explain that everything was fine (well, considering what had already happened before).

“Sire, the Lady Morgana …” Merlin tried to say, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, the king commenced a fast gallop towards the citadel and his voice was muffled by the sound of the horse’s hooves.

 

* * *

Uther opened his daughter’s chambers doors abruptly and that startled Morgana and Guinevere. The maid was the first to speak:

“Sire, if you may –”

“Leave us.” He groaned in a menacing tone and the maid curtsied, glancing at her friend as she left the room. Morgana nodded to her in reassurance.

“Why did that fairy called me your daughter?” The young woman inquired, not wearing the Blood Crystal because she was about to take a nap.

Uther covered his forehead with his hand and slid it to the rest of his face. He wheezed in frustration, getting more and angry – yes, that was what he was truly feeling, anger, it wasn’t sadness or anything similar because those kind of feelings were solely restricted to women and their whiny nature. He was possessed of anger, enraged of how ludicrous the whole situation was, of how his whole life could have been so much different had he bore a son instead of a daughter. That was what innerved him more, if she were born a boy none of this would have happened.  

His internal turmoil of emotions was too much and he ended up exploding:

“Because that’s what you are! **My daughter** , not **my** **son**!” He said in exasperation and continued speaking: “Why weren’t you born a male? Why?!”

Morgana was shocked with this revelation and did try to say something, but Uther continued his rant:

“If you were a male, my Ygraine would still be alive! My kingdom would have the best possible heir for the throne, because you’re so much **more** than Arthur, you’re a better fighter, a better leader, you’re much smarter than him, you’re more outspoken, there isn’t a single thing that he does better than you!” A single tear left his right eye and Morgana noticed that his eyes were glistening with the rest of them.

“And even … even magic, you have … and you seem to be powerful too, more than most of the wimps my men have executed. You would be the perfect Prince … and the strongest King Camelot could ever hope for! If only, if only you weren’t a bloody woman!”

“No …” Morgana muttered and began to gasp, inhaling large amounts of air in a vain attempt to calm herself.

“NO!” She screamed in distress.

Arthur and Gaius entered the room and spoke at the same time

“Father!”

“Sire!”

“It’s a lie! I can’t be your daughter!” Morgana cried out and the old man rushed to her side. That amount of stress wasn’t a good thing for a pregnant woman, especially in a pregnancy of multiples.

“The fairy spoke the truth?” Arthur asked in astonishment and Uther ignored him, replying to Morgana instead:

“You are! You have my blood and you’re much more like me than Arthur could ever hope to be! If only you were a male … all my problems would have been solved!”

“Sire, please refrain from distressing the Lady Morgana more.” Gaius tried to intervene.

Then Morgana screamed in pain and a flush of a liquid substance wetted the floor.

“Oh, no, she’s getting into labor now.” Gaius stated, then turned his head to the prince:

“Arthur, carry Morgana to my quarters, she is having the babies now!”

The young man gulped and nodded as he went to his sister’s direction and began to carry her in bridal-style to the physician’s chamber. Gwen, that was anxiously waiting outside, retrieved her mistress necklace and followed the prince, after she placed the necklace around her friend’s neck.

Gaius paced to leave the room when Uther said:

“Wait.” The old man turned to his king and Uther spoke:

“Do everything you can to keep her safe, Gaius. **Everything**.”

“Yes, sire.”

* * *

The labor lasted for hours, Gaius commanded Merlin to enchant the chambers so that Morgana’s screams of pain couldn’t be heard outside. Gwen assisted the physician, sometimes calming Morgana, sometimes fetching something for Gaius and other times simply having her hand crushed by her friend’s vice grip.

Merlin stood with Arthur, pacing the prince’s chambers. The blond man had explained to his father how he handled the situation while still keeping Morgana’s honor, but he was too hesitant to inquire his father about Morgana’s true parentage and what he meant when he said she was more like him that the prince could ever hope to be. So, Arthur was also in his chambers, getting more and more irritated by each passing second as his manservant didn’t cease to walk from a corner to another in his room.

“Merlin, stop! You’ll only create a whole on the floor! Sit!”

 The raven-haired man complied, too much anxious to think of a witty remark or anything else as his love was giving birth to their children and he was stuck with his prat of a master/friend when he should be with her.

Merlin began to bite his nails, trying to calm his nerves.

“Merlin, stop that! Only because you have large ears you think that you’re a bunny now?”

“Arthur, just do me a favor, don’t be such a prat now. You know that these are my children that are being born and –” He stopped himself before he could say that it was the woman he loved whose life was endangered in that risky birth of multiples.

“Don’t repeat that.” The prince said in a somber tone and added: “They are Camelot’s Princes or Princesses, by blood too.”

That ignited Merlin’s natural curiosity and he asked:

“What do you mean by ‘blood’?”

Arthur sighed, noticing his mistake. Then the realization that his manservant would be the father of his nephews or nieces set in. What a mess, somehow he would be related to his idiotic servant. He sighed again.

“Arthur, what do you mean by ‘blood’?” Merlin asked again, getting warier.

“Morgana is my sister, and apparently everything that my father has ever desired that I would be.” He blurted, sick and tired of keeping secrets and farces.

“Wait, is she – ”

“Uther’s daughter, the target of that fairy’s revenge.”

 “And my children –”

“Uther’s grandchildren.”

Merlin gaped open mouthed at Arthur’s revelation. He immediately wondered how Morgana would be coping with the truth, and he felt a pang of worry for her in his own heart. He kept silent for a long time and when he finally had found the words to say something to Arthur, someone knocked on the door and opened it afterwards.

It was Gwen and she said, smiling:

“Morgana has delivered three healthy baby boys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have Arthur the politician, a reference to "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" and I hope you have enjoyed, because there are only 2 more chapters


	20. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, it belongs to BBC

“This is wonderful! I have to see her!” Merlin jumped from his sit, grinning from ear to ear.

“Merlin, you can’t.” Gwen said, with pity on her face. Uther’s prohibition was still in place, Gwen was sure that Merlin’s part in helping the secret to remain hidden hadn’t changed that. She was there to summon Arthur and to tell Merlin of the news, that was the least she could do for him.

“Arthur, the King has requested your presence in the physician’s chambers. I was sent here to inform you that.” Gwen spoke quickly, she had to return immediately to Morgana’s side.

The young warlock was simply devastated, not only was he prohibited to see her love in public for the entire course of her pregnancy, also being deprived of accompanying her during childbirth, now he could not even see her and **their** children after hours of hearing her screams of pain through their mental connection. He didn’t want to wait after everybody left so that he could talk to her and hold his own babies in his arms, especially after hearing from Arthur that Uther was actually Morgana’s father, which must have been a shock for her, so he knew she **needed** him by her side too, more than ever.

“I’m coming too.” Merlin said with determination, puffing out his chest.

“No, you **won’t**.” Arthur retorted in a menacing tone and continued: “This is a family matter, you’re not allowed in and you know it.”

“But they are my children, I have the right –” Merlin began saying in exasperation, but Arthur interrupted, speaking louder and muffling his friend’s voice:

“They are Camelot’s princes and to remain like that they mustn’t know the truth and that includes not knowing that **you** are their **father**. It’s best if you don’t foster much sentimentality towards them, Merlin.” Arthur sighed and added: “You know my father will have your head if he even suspect that your relationship with either Morgana or the babies border any kind of impropriety in his standards.”

For a moment Merlin’s eyes were clouded with anger. A thought crossed his mind, he wondered if he used his powers to get the king to his knees, forcing him to abdicate in Arthur’s favor, he could finally be with the woman he loved and properly marry her, shouting to the whole world that he was hers and she was his, and that they had three little proofs of their love already. But it was only for an instant, he immediately remembered his fate and duty, choosing to nod to Arthur.

The prince left his chambers, being followed closely by Gwen, and Merlin decided that he should at least get the closest he could be from his new family, so he went downstairs, stopping at the corridor that lead to the physician’s chambers.

 

* * *

“Let me see her, Gaius. I want to see them.” Uther commanded to the old man.

“Sire, I don’t think that’s a good idea. The last time you spoke with Morgana … didn’t respond well.” Gaius said, choosing his words not to irritate the king.

“She is **my** daughter, those are **my** grandsons and this is **my** kingdom, Gaius. I’ll do as I wish, now get out of my way before I have to take any drastic measures.” Uther practically growled at the old man.

“Yes, sire.” Gaius bowed, lowering his head and stepping aside for him to pass.

The king walked to the bed Morgana was currently resting on top of, looking at her sweated face and closed eyes as he patted her hair, fondly. She had a baby in each arm and another snuggled in her midsection. They were apparently calm, making small noises.

She opened her eyes with heavy eyelids and when she noticed who it was, her expression closed, anger visible in her front.

“It’s you.” She practically hissed.

“Yes, Morgana.” He replied in a stern tone, remembering her that he wasn’t easily intimidated, nor would back down and apologize for lying all those years about being her father.

“What do you want?” She blurted, restless in the presence of the man that had lied to her during her entire time, and worst, that had stolen from her the connection she had with the only man that was worth of being called her father, because unlike Uther her true father wouldn’t lie to her about such a thing, he wouldn’t deceive his best friend for so long, nor would he mistreat his children so much. Gorlois was a truly honorable man, the one she always had as a role model, the person she always aspired to be alike, and she felt betrayed because instead of the blood of a truly noble person, worth of love, her veins bore the blood of lying tyrannical man that only cared for himself.

As if sensing the tension in the air, the three boys started to wail, that quickly turned into a desperate cry.

Arthur and Gwen had arrived at the room, and when they heard the crying, they promptly went there to help hold the babies and attempt to soothe them. Gwen passed the one she held back to Morgana when she noticed she had to rescue Arthur in his inaptitude to hold a child in his arms. Uther picked up the remaining baby boy, rocking him in his arms. Morgana didn’t complain because she had her hands full trying to calm down one of her sons.

When their crying softened to mere sobs, Uther spoke, watching his grandson tenderly:

“They must be hungry. How will you name them?”

“Do I have the freedom to choose their names?” She asked with poison in her voice.

“Of course you do, thought I’d like to suggest a name or two.” His answer surprised her, his recent actions made her believe she would have no say in the upbringing of her own children.

“What about Urien?” Uther asked and Morgana made a sullen face, so he took it as a no, and continued: “Maelrys? Carantoc? Maelgwyn? Derfael? Aneirin? … Morcant?”

“Seriously?” She asked indignantly. “Are you seriously considering giving of my sons the male version of my name?”

“It’s a good name.” He stated and added: “I’m sure you have thought about naming one of the children as such.”

“No, I haven’t.” She replied in a scornful tone and lifted her chin as she proceeded: “I have already decided the names: Conn, Hueil and Gorlois.”

“Morgana, there’ll be suspicions if we name one of them Gorlois and as much as I adored him, his name doesn’t sound good.” Uther retorted.

“They are my sons, Uther. I won’t hide the truth from them and I don’t want to keep it a secret, in fact I want to tell the entire kingdom that they are my flesh and blood, that **you** are the one that has been lying to everyone!” She snarled.

“And then what?” He asked calmly.

Morgana furrowed her brows in a momentary confusion because he didn’t react as she expected, but she shortly recomposed her defiant demeanor and answered:

“I’ll move back to my lands and … raise them.” She choose to say only that as she was afraid that mentioning Merlin could cost him his life.

“The children will be labelled as bastards and you’ll be thought as a loose woman. No one will take you seriously, as an unmarried woman you can’t administer your lands. And before you have any ideas, a servant isn’t even a free man, you couldn’t marry that **boy**.” He said the final word with disdain, then continued speaking:

“Meanwhile, by staying here, one of your sons can become the next king of Camelot in case Arthur perish without leaving heirs, and so the Pendragon bloodline wouldn’t be extinct with him.”

“I don’t care about your precious bloodline!” She shouted and the babies cried in response.

“But you care about your sons’ future. They’ll have problem inheriting Gorlois’ lands because they **are** bastards and don’t forget that you **can** lose your claim to his lands if your true parentage is known.” He replied, having to speak louder as his voice was muffled by the sound of crying.

“Are you threatening me?” Morgana asked, surprised that he could jeopardize all the secrets he had kept hidden for an entire lifetime only to blackmail her.

“I’m only stating that your best option is to remain here in Camelot, were you’ll get all the support you need to raise the children and where they’ll grow up surrounded by their family.”

“You’re truly a rascal, Uther Pendragon.” She snarled and the newborn that was held by the king used his own magic to levitate back to his mother.

Shock was plastered across Uther, Arthur, Gwen and Gaius’ face. Even though the old physician heard Merlin’s tales about his own prodigality with magic ever since he was an infant, it was different to actually witness a newborn baby, that hadn’t even managed to open his own eyes yet, perform magic as it was the most natural thing to do, as easy as yawning.

“They have magic.” Uther murmured, his voice stifled by the sound of crying.

Outside the physician’s chambers, Merlin got apprehensive, surely the crying of newborns was a current event, but he had a nagging feeling telling him that something could go terribly wrong. So, he tried to contact Morgana with his mind, though for some reason he couldn’t reach her.

As the baby nuzzled himself between his mother’s bosom, the king yelled with wide eyes:

“They have magic!!!!!”

The other occupants of the room flinched with the intensity and suddenness of Uther’s outburst. Even if she was still weak due to childbirth, Morgana readied herself to use her own magic in case the king tried to harm her babies, consequences be damned.

“What will you do, drown them?” She asked in defiance while clinging tightly to the babies in her arms, while her voice was obviously cracking in a mix of fear and hurt.

Her question was the equivalent to an invisible slap to his face, well it certainly had the same moral effect. Those children were his blood, bastards or not as his daughter was also, yet that didn’t make him love her less. Suddenly gaining awareness of his own behavior – that truly granted her reasons to expect the worst of him – Uther felt ashamed and softened the hard expression he had put on as he voiced his feeling of betrayal for the newborns possessing magic. He felt shame that the thought of killing his own kind had indeed crossed his mind. In a sense it would be merciful of him even, to save them from the constant danger of corruption by magic, but since when had he started believing in that bullshit he had fed his people with, only to claim his revenge against those that had magic?

“No, I would never do that. They are my … grandsons.” This time the king’s voice was cracking with emotions that he couldn’t dare to express more than what his effort to contain them could demonstrate.

The babies crying decreased, turning into sparse wails and sobs, and the tension in the room subdued.

Uther took a deep breath, knowing that if he wanted to keep his family intact he had to give in and admit that he trusted her even with magic involved:

“They can grow to become decent and good people depending on their upbringing, the fact that they have magic doesn’t automatically makes them evil.” Uther more than anyone knew that to be true, indeed he was friend with many magic users and not all of them were power hungry, he was especially aware that the Druids were pacifists, thought he could never affirm that or else his subjects would never have supported him during the Purge and afterwards.

“You are right, Morgana. You aren’t somebody else because you have magic, you remained a good person in your heart, and exactly because of that, please, stay. I know we have our differences, I know that I have disappointed you, both of you –” He glanced at Arthur and returned his gaze to Morgana before continuing: “but, please, please, stay. Let’s be a family, no more deceptions.”

Morgana nodded with tear filled-eyes. She was exhausted and in the end she wanted to be accepted and give the very best for her children. Certainly seeing Uther as her father would be difficult and it would take time, that was if she even wanted to accept him as such, she still doubted that, but part of her wanted to have a father again, to be a daughter again. With Arthur it would be easier, he was always like a younger brother for her, in sorts it always felt natural to think of him as family too.

 

* * *

 

   

And so time passed. With much difficulty Uther was convinced that magic’s ban shouldn’t persist, but at the same time he couldn’t lift the ban without causing an uproar so he, Arthur and Morgana agreed that measures would be taken to assure a smooth change of the law once Arthur would be king. In the meantime Uther wouldn’t actively persecute the Druids and practitioners that didn’t cause harm, yet those with magic that shown aggressiveness towards Camelot would be punished.

Therefore, the Princes’ magic should be kept a secret and only a restrict amount of people were allowed to attend them, including Merlin and Hunith, as the warlock’s mother moved into Camelot at her son’s request (something to do with expertise in raising magical babies), even wet-nurses weren’t allowed, while goats were added to the castle’s herd.

Uther permitted Merlin to remain in the same room as Morgana, yet he was still oblivious to the nature of their relationship, as was Arthur.

Without much of a warning, the boys turned two and a half years-old while being pampered by everyone, especially by the king.

 

* * *

 

 

“Gapa, Gapa, _meh, meh_!”

“Do you want me to bleat, little one?” He asked, patting his grandson’s head.

“Yes!” The little boy squealed and his two brothers, that were previously entertained with a toy, quickly approached the king, eager to hear his impersonation of a goat/sheep.

Uther inhaled deeply and began:

“Meeeehhhh, meeehhhhh.”

“Again!” The boys squealed in unison and the king complied:

“Meeeeeeehhh, Meeeeeehhh.”

While Uther was granting his grandchildren their wishes, Arthur barged into his study, panting.

For a moment, the blond prince just stood there, watching his father, the mighty Uther, descending into goat-level to please his nephews. Well, it could be worse, once he caught the king on all-four serving as the little princes mount – Arthur, Merlin and Leon also had assumed the part of horses for the little guys, but they didn’t rule a kingdom.

Uther cleared his throat, regaining his composure and Arthur spoke, choosing to avoid any commentaries about goat-Uther in self-protection:

“Father, Gedref was attacked by a Gwyllgi!”

“What?”

“The dog of darkness, he burnt the entire village.” His son explained.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers, there’s indeed only one chapter left, but worry not! This story will gain a series of drabbles containing the babies adventures in bending Uther to their wishes, : ) (and other things too, like Merlin and Morgana dealing with parenthood and their secret relationship, Arthur babysitting and Gwen giving them manners, : )
> 
> Also, I purposely chose not to clarify the names of the boys to give you chances to decide about them too. So, feel free to give suggestions, folks. All the names I wrote in this chapter are celtic/welsh names, well, because it makes sense with the period of time/their culture.


	21. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin. It belongs to BBC.  
> Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows, : )  
> So, this won’t be the final chapter because now I have a dilemma. Even though it has been a little bit more than two months since my last update here, I had reasons, those few months were very busy to me, I could only finally breath now!!!! (also it could be worst, I think I promised a one-shot for like three months now and I haven’t found the time to write it yet)  
> If you like it, leave a comment, = D

The beast howled outside of Camelot’s walls. Uther knew it wouldn’t let his kingdom at peace. No man could kill it because it was already dead, no man could harm it nor escape it, and everywhere it went it would leave a trail of death and destruction. The king knew it well, he once used the phantom hound as a mean to claim his throne, when those with magic were his allies. But back then twenty magic wielders were necessary to invoke it and keep it from attacking the King (only claimant of the crown at the time) and his supporters and even though when the Gwyllgi charged against the citadel many civilians died that day, along with an expressive number of the previous king’s soldiers and supporting sorcerers.

His own soldiers, knights and peasants have had fallen victim to the vile creature. In its mad quest for blood the Gwyllgi had burned down five villages and a total of five hundred men sent to evacuate them. It was only a matter of time until it would try to do the same to the city of Camelot.

Uther took a deep sip from his goblet, tasting the fine wine. He looked through the window of his study, while listening to rushed footsteps outside the room. The moon was beautiful, he thought, completely full and shining without being hidden by any clouds. Indeed, it was a good night to die.   

Nonetheless there was something that could harm the beast: dragon’s fire. The only problem was how to convince the dragon he had imprisoned for more than twenty years to save his kingdom. Even though, it was the only chance he got, it would be a gamble. He didn’t know if he could even strike a bargain with the Great Dragon, but he knew there was something that the dragon wanted more than anything: his own life. If something could convince the beast to fight the Gwyllgi there had to be it.      

Uther had already decided. There was no other way. Even if there was a living dragonlord willing to help his kingdom – and there wasn’t, he made sure of it – there wouldn’t be enough time to reach him as in a mere day the phantom hound had already arrived at Camelot’s gates. It was only a matter of hours for it to break the walls. It should be enough time to say his goodbye.

 

* * *

“How are the preparations, son?” Uther asked Arthur at the castle’s courtyard.

“The men are ready to face the beast, I swear we’ll protect Camelot with our lives.” Arthur replied with determination in his voice. His father smiled briefly, he had learnt well not to show fear regardless of the situation, but after Uther had made his move there would be nothing left to fear, his son and everyone else would be safe.

“You know, Arthur, I’m really proud of you. I’m aware that I don’t express it often, but it’s the truth. You make me proud, son, and I love you more than anything in this world.” He said, patting the blond man’s shoulder.

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was he wanted to say didn’t leave his mind because he only said:

“Thank you, father. I love you too, sire.”

“Promise me something, Arthur.” He paused a little before saying more and his son looked at him expectantly: “Promise me that you won’t limit yourself to merely follow my footsteps. Surpass me, make the people forget my name and remember only yours when they hear the Pendragon surname.” The King paused again, searching in his son’s eyes the understanding of his words, then he added: “I want you to climb on my shoulders and rise even higher. Of my rule take only the best aspects, not the worst. Learn from my mistakes so that you don’t have to be wrong before you understand what wasn’t right.” Uther grabbed Arthur’s shoulder and squeezed a little before continuing: “And most important of it all: promise me to always protect and value your sister and your nephews. Of all things in life, family is the most precious one a man can have. Never forget that.”

His son had confusion written all over his face when he replied with uncertainty:

“I promise, father. But why are you saying all of that right now?”

“Because we can all die tonight and it’s better to leave this world without any regrets.” The king smiled at Arthur and said:

“Continue the preparations for battle, I’ll join you soon.”

“Yes, sire.” Arthur said, straightening his back and assuming a soldier’s posture.   

 

* * *

 

 

Uther knocked at the door of his daughter’s chambers. Her maid opened the door, bowing and allowing him in and she left the room, giving her mistress and the King privacy. Morgana was humming a song to her sleeping sons. Uther smiled. The three boys slept like angels on top of her bed, undisturbed by the turmoil outside.

They were identical twins with black curly hair, much like their mother’s, ivory skin, bright blue eyes, not exactly like Morgana’s, but the colors could change as they hadn’t even lived three summers and, thankfully, they hadn’t inherited the peasant boy’s large ears, yet when they smiled it was almost impossible to deny their parentage.

Gorlois, in the left side of the bed, had a tranquil sleep, undisturbed by the noise and his brother’s, Derfael, moving in the center of the bed, probably dreaming that he was fighting some imaginary threat and protecting his family and kingdom, while Conn was certainly unamused by his brother’s constant fuss as he turned on his side so that his siblings faced his back and frowned.

Uther was lost in his reverie while gazing at them, thinking about how he wouldn’t be able to watch them grow up, kiss them good night, tell them nighttime stories, nor see the men they’ll become. Suddenly Morgana interrupted his thoughts:

“I’ll protect Camelot, the beast is no match to my powers.” She assured him, leaving unspoken the notion that her magic combined with Merlin’s would defeat the Gwyllgi.

“Gwen will watch over them in the meantime.” She added, glancing at her sleeping children.

“I have no doubt we shall overcome this ordeal.” He answered, preferring to tell her a half-truth than to blatantly lie and say that she could beat the beast by herself. Only dragon fire could kill what was already dead.

“You and Arthur must join forces to protect Camelot, don’t forget that.” He continued, pausing briefly before saying: “I want to speak with you, we should leave this room not to disturb them.” He said, pointing to the sleeping boys.

Morgana nodded and followed him outside the room. The two swiftly reached another chamber that was unoccupied by any other person.

As soon as the two passed through the door, Morgana asked:

“What is it that you desire to speak, my lord?”

“Many things.” He smiled weakly before continuing:

“I’d like to say that no matter if you still don’t see me as your father I have loved you as my daughter from the very first moment, even though sometimes I was harsh to you, and to Arthur too, you must understand … everything I did … I did while thinking it would be the best for you, you, your brother … and the kingdom.” He took a deep breath and added:

“This beast that we face … is really difficult to kill … and I don’t want you getting too close from it … and I must say … in case I perish in this battle …” He cupped her hands and looked into her eyes with determination:

“Promise me that you’ll watch over Arthur, be his consciousness when his own fails him, promise me that you’ll always be by his side, no matter what. If you stay united Camelot will prosper. He needs you, he isn’t used yet to having to make tough decisions, he doubts himself too much and I know this is my fault, but I won’t be able to do a thing when I’m dead so promise me you’ll be here for him.”

Morgana furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. He was speaking as if he was certain of his death, which didn’t make sense, she, Merlin and Arthur would deal with the creature, a precise slash from Excalibur was all that was necessary to end the threat and magic would ensure Arthur’s victory. Nonetheless, the king was really serious about the whole matter, which made her suspicious, though she had no reason to deny his request and Uther’s overactive imagination was the lesser of her problems, so she nodded and answered:

“I promise.”

He hugged his daughter tightly, a single traitorous tear left one of his eyes and he murmured:

“Thank you, my daughter. I … I’m proud of the person that you are. You and your brother are so much better than me. I’m proud of you.”

“You’re holding me too tightly.” She mumbled and he broke the hug and said:

“Oh, sorry. There’s another thing. I know about you and the servant boy –” She was about to protest but the King stopped her: “I won’t do anything to him, you have my word. I … even if he isn’t the kind of man I wished you’d wed one day … I understand. The heart wants what it wants.” He sighed and continued: “At least he can take orders.” Uther grinned and Morgana smiled, so he took her answer as a clue to proceed: “Hmm … what really matters is that he makes you happy, it’s obvious that you love each other deeply, everyone can tell.” He paused dramatically and added: “Except Arthur.” He grinned again and she got impressed, two jokes in a row from Uther?

He took a deep breath and continued:

“Cherish what you have, Morgana. Don’t take your love, your family for granted, don’t leave things unspoken because you can reach a point in your live in which things can come back to haunt you. So, the secret is to not have anything capable to do that.”

“Why are you saying all this?” She asked in confusion.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m following my rule now.” He replied and smiled, leaving the room to meet with the Great Dragon.

* * *

 

“I’m here Dragon. I accept your terms, my life for my kingdom.” Uther said in a confident tone of voice as he descended the final steps of the dungeon.

“I have awaited a long time for this moment, Uther Pendragon.” Kilgharrah grinned, showing his sharp teeth as he released steam from his nostril. He added: “Open the lock and unchain me. I can’t fight the Gwyllgi standing here, can I?”

“You’ll fulfill your part in our agreement, won’t you? Do I have your word that you’ll kill the creature after I have done my part?” Uther inquired.

“Don’t test my patience, Uther Pendragon! I gave you my word that I would fight it, isn’t that enough?!” The Great Dragon replied in exasperation.

“It’ll do.” Uther said and Kilgharrah scoffed, but didn’t begin a discussion about it.

The King crouched near the lock and used the massive key to open it, and the chains clanked as they fell from Kilgharrah’s ankle.

Instead of taking flight and feel the breeze, the dragon stood where he was and spoke:

“Now, the second part of our deal.”

And he blew a torrent of fire against the King. 


	22. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin. It belongs to BBC.
> 
> Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows, : )
> 
> This is the end …
> 
> Hold your breath and count to ten …
> 
> \o/\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/
> 
> Wow, I finally made it!!! It’s over!!!!! The first story ever that I have written and finished!!!!
> 
> Don’t worry guys, there’ll be drabbles for this story covering more fluffiness (as it seems drama is kind of a thing that never leaves my stories completely).
> 
> I must say that I’m especially thankful for everybody that has supported this story, read it, enjoyed it, left reviews/comments too, : D
> 
> It was even quoted as a good fluffy Canon AU on Tumblr, \o/
> 
> I hope that you’ve all have enjoyed “Uther’s Daughter” it was really fun to write it (although it took longer than expected) and if you liked it, please, also check “What would happen if Morgana was less Pendragon like” in AO3 or FFnet that is also a Mergana story but putting Morgana in a more empowered position. It’s longer, hasn’t reached the Mergana points yet (what a sin!!), though there’s a chapter in the beginning to sooth the Mergana’s abstinence, : D

 

_The King crouched near the lock and used the massive key to open it, and the chains clanked as they fell from Kilgharrah’s ankle._

_Instead of taking flight and feel the breeze, the dragon stood where he was and spoke:_

_“Now, the second part of our deal.”_

_And he blew a torrent of fire against the King._      

**…**

 

Uther felt the rush of heat getting closer to his face. He closed his eyes and cringed, waiting for the flames to get him and cause excruciating pain. It was a horrible death and he had condemned many to it, it was only fair that his end would be no different from the many executions he had ordered.

As the fire hit his face he screamed, he could feel the flames touching his flesh and burning it from the inside. It was like being devoured alive by many minuscule vermin at the same time. It hurt more than anything he had experienced before and, suddenly the fire stopped coming, yet he had already acquire a serious burnt degree and his body ached intensely. Uther feel to his knees, supporting his weight on his right arm, as he heard the dragon grunt indignantly and later on yell:

“What are you doing?!!! This isn’t possible, you can’t have this power yet!!!!”

Uther turned to look behind him and was dumbfounded by what he was seeing – his three grandchildren were holding hands, their eyes glowing gold while they float in mid-air. Derfael, in the middle, spoke:

“Bad dagooon.” The other two boys shook their heads disapprovingly and repeated the same words after their brother.

“Fight Gwygy!” The little prince said as his and his brothers’ eyes glowed again and they spoke in unison:

“Fight Gwygy!”

Uther felt a surge of power coming from their voices that gave him shivers, even though he was had a burning sensation along a great extent of his body. He was astonished, how could mere three years-old boys produce such a powerful effect on a five hundred year old dragon?

Kilgharrah roared, releasing fire blasts to the cave’s ceiling in frustration. He had waited for twenty-four long years to have his revenge and those hatchlings frustrated his only real chance to do it, he was possessed of anger. Yet, their command was compelling him to fight that stupid dog. He had no other option, he was forced to obey, once this was over he’d have to manipulate Merlin more – ops – enlighten him about the dangers of not controlling his children properly. So, he grudgingly flew again from his prison for the first time in decades and searched for the damned Gwyllgi.

Then, the three kids rushed to their grandpa side and they said with tears in their eyes, one by one:

“Gapa, Im sowwy”

“Gapa, Im sowwy”

“So sowwy, Gapa.”

“We heal Gapa’s boo boo” Little Conn spoke with determination and Uther smiled briefly and stopped shortly after due to the pain.

The three little princes joined hands and looked intently at the king. For a moment nothing happened, but after another instant he felt his muscles and skin mending, as well as the end of that stinging sensation over his body. They had successfully healed the burns he had suffered. It was amazing how such young children could be so powerful and at the same time be such sweet children too. Whenever someone was hurt near them – either a person or an animal – they would immediately rush to heal them and in case it was too late and the animal was already dead they would cry inconsolably for a long amount of time as if every life lost hurt them deeply. More than anything his grandchildren inspired him to believe that there was still good left in the world.

Then, the three boys hugged him all at once and the old king couldn’t help but smile as he returned it. They meant the world to him, and perhaps it was time to build a world in which they wouldn’t feel like pariahs for the sole reason of being born the way they were.

 

* * *

   

Meanwhile, Arthur, Merlin and Morgana fought the Gwyllgi the best way they could. Using barricades with the men pushing to keep the beast outside (with a lot of hidden magic to help prevent the phantom hound from entering the citadel), Camelot was safe for the time being, but that wouldn’t be enough.

Storm clouds were gathering above them, which only felt as an omen of utterly doom to the soldiers reunited there.  

“Merlin! Tell me that you’ve found a way to kill this beast! We can’t hold for much longer!” Arthur questioned, already out of breath due to physical effort.

“We’ve only got one shot, so when I say ‘let go’ everybody must stop pushing and run to the corners.” Merlin said, leaving his position by Arthur side and he distanced himself from the barrier, rushing to where Morgana was expecting him.

As he reached her, they embraced and held each other for a few moments as this could pretty much be the last time they could hold one another in this life. For a second, they forgot about keeping the façade of noble and servant and didn’t mind if anyone would notice the moment of intimacy that they shared. It didn’t matter anymore, they gazed into each other’s eyes hoping that they could communicate the range of emotions they were feeling: love, trust, fear, understanding and certain contentment that if they were dying there and now at least it was with one of the persons they loved most in the entire world.

The two disentangled and faced the barricade while holding hands.

Merlin was about to usher the command when Kilgharrah swoop in and fired a blast at the Gwyllgi. The beast screeched, it was obviously hurt, but after that he pressed harder against the blockade, trying to breach in.

The Great Dragon flew closer to the creature and breathed more flames against it. The Gwyllgi shrieked in pain, now abandoning his initial goal to flee instead.

As it reached the open field, Kilgharrah breathed more fire, finally killing the creature.

Most of the viewers were utterly confused. Why was the dragon defending Camelot? Wait, wasn’t this beast the one kept for more than twenty years imprisoned by King Uther?

Though, as the first person cheered because they had survived the attack the rest joined, forgetting that there was still an enormous magical creature that held grudges against the kingdom just outside.

As for our warlock, he did try to thank the dragon and ask him more:

“Kilgharrah! Thank you! Thank you! But how did you managed to escape from the chains?!”

Kilgharrah wheezed, annoyed. He wasn’t particularly happy that were Merlin’s spawn that stopped his long awaited and just revenge. So, he only replied:

“Later, Merlin. I just want to flight as far away as possible from Camelot.” And with that he took off, while Merlin tried again to speak with him:

“But Kilgharrah –”

“Later …” was everything the warlock heard. The dragon was already out of reach.

 

* * *

A month has passed since the attack and Uther had made up his mind. He would abdicate his throne in Arthur’s favor, he would be a better king than him. At least that he had achieved, probably not by his own merits, more by theirs – his children were better persons that him, as if they were improved versions of him.

Maybe it was time to let the new generation claim their rightful place and build a reality that he wished for when he became king – a kingdom that flourished at the solid foundation of justice, freedom, virtue and peace. That was why he had become king, that was why he had so many supporters. Back then, with Ygraine by his side, he felt that he could bring such times for Camelot and later on for Albion, alas, he was wrong. Grief had blinded him, hate had took over him and he destroyed part of what he initially stood for.

So, it was time to look for redemption, that couldn’t be achieved with him remaining as king. Going back now, after more than twenty years of hate could be disastrous. He feared not for his life, not anymore, but in case one of the sorcerers he had persecuted before desired to have their vengeance against him, they could end up aiming at his family too, getting his precious children and grandchildren hurt.

No, there was a way in which that wouldn’t happen, even if it meant he had to abandon them and let the people see how different they are from him.

Uther had already decided, he would roam the land and try to do good, as some sort of atonement for all the suffering he had caused. It was obvious that it wouldn’t be enough, it would never be. But he knew that three little boys would be really proud of him and maybe, one day as they become older and find out about who their grandfather really was, they’ll remember the good moments they spent together and that in the end he decided to do his very best inspired by them and their mother and uncle.

Uther locked the small chest above his table, putting the key next to it along with a note addressed to Arthur and a royal proclamation. Inside the container, there were letters to his loved ones and friends. To his grandchildren he had written one to every birthday they had until they’d be eighteen, probably more time than he would actually live.

He hoped that this was enough, that one day they would understand.

Then he turned, grabbed a satchel and disappeared in the night. 


End file.
